The Bonds of Family
by KidatHeart5
Summary: The 7th installment of the RCF series. Based on "Snow White". Everypony loves Princess Flurry Heart…except for her sister, Princess Skyla. Skyla's jealousy soon makes her the target of a sinister foe. Can Flurry Heart and her cousins wield a powerful relic to save her sister, or risk losing her forever? Co-written with CartoonNerd12.
1. Prologue

Princess Skyla walked down the halls of the Crystal Palace with her father. She had never seen him so disheveled before. Nevertheless, he was smiling from ear to ear on account of the birth of her new sister. Skyla was excited to see her and almost raced ahead of her father to the nursery. She actually would've if she knew which room her mom and sister were in.

Shining Armor reached the doors of a room and said, "Well, sweetheart. Here we are."

Skyla jumped up and down, chattering, "Yay! I can't wait to meet my new sister! We're gonna have so much fun together!"

He chuckled, "I'm sure you will." He set his hoof on the door, but before he opened it, he cautioned, "But let's just say she's a bit different from you."

When he opened the door, Skyla said as she walked in, "Oh, Daddy, I don't care if she's pink, blue, or rainbowy! She's my sister and that's all that matters."

Cadance, who was beside the baby's bed, lifted Skyla with her magic and placed her on the bed. She said, "Here she is, Skyla. Your new sister."

Skyla practically gushed at the sight of her swaddled sister. The baby had a light magentaish gray coat and a light arctic blue-streaked mane that transitioned from light cerise to grayish violet. Skyla whispered to her sister, "Hi. I'm your sister Skyla."

To Skyla's surprise, the baby opened her light opal eyes and began fidgeting out of her blanket. Skyla's heart skipped another beat when her sister spread out wings! The baby gurgled and cooed in excitement of seeing her big sister.

Skyla expressed her shock, "She's…an alicorn." She looked on her back and asked sadly, "Why does she have wings and I don't?"

Cadance explained as gently as possible, "It's just because you and your sister were born differently. All babies are different from other ponies, including their brothers and sisters."

Shining Armor, trying to lighten the mood, said, "Mommy's right. Each baby wants to stand out in their own way. Your baby sister, for example, might've wanted to use wings to stand out!"

Just then, the baby started to sneeze. When she did, however, she released a ray of magic so powerful that it tore a hole through several floors of the castle! A pony with a singed mane looked down from one of the floors in shock.

Skyla remarked, "And her magic."

Cadance said, "We'll work on that."

 _When the Crystalling was to be held, the royal family soon realized just how powerful the infant's magic was. Just before the ceremony could commence, the baby's crying shattered the Crystal Heart! Without its protective magic to shield the Crystal Empire from the Frozen North, the kingdom itself would soon be buried under a blanket of snow. Luckily, Sunburst had come up with a few spells to save the Empire and control the baby's magic. The royal family used the Crystalling to restore the Crystal Heart and save the Empire from eternal winter. In honor of the adventure they just had, Cadance and Shining Armor named their infant daughter Flurry Heart._

 _As Princesses Skyla and Flurry Heart grew, their parents and family members cherished them equally, but the same could not be said about the crystal ponies. Yes, the citizens of the Empire adored both princesses, but they admired Flurry Heart more than Skyla. Needless to say, it annoyed the elder sister that the ponies loved her sister more just because she was an alicorn. Flurry Heart wasn't really enjoying much of the attention, either. As taught by her parents and family members, she remained modest and kind, the ideal princess. Skyla was also like her sister, but fewer ponies seemed to notice her for that. And it wasn't just the lack of attention that got to her._

 _The sisters' Crystaller served as their mentor, but Flurry showed more prowess in her strong magic. Soon, word began to spread throughout the Empire that Flurry Heart was more powerful than her sister. Skyla got really irked at that and a jealousy towards her younger sister began to grow…_


	2. All about Magic

In her elegant bedroom, Skyla trotted up gracefully to her vanity as practice for walking amongst the crowds and other royalty. When she sat down softly, she took a few deep breaths before beginning to apply makeup on herself.

She thought, _I am Princess Skyla of the Crystal Empire. I come from a noble line of royals who look out for the welfare of others, so thus I follow in their hoofsteps. I, Princess Skyla, am humble, kind, gentle, honest, intelligent, and above all –_

Flurry Heart burst through the door, shouting, "Hey, Skyla!"

The sudden action caused the lipstick to smear across Skyla's face. She turned and scolded her younger sister, "Flurry, a proper princess never bursts in unannounced. She must knock and state her business first."

Flurry said, "I know that, but we're in the privacy of our own home. We can just go wherever we like without being regal and proper. Just ask Cotton."

"Does the privacy of one's home entitle them to barge in someone else's room just like that?"

The alicorn blushed and rubbed the back of her neck as she said, "Point taken."

Skyla sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to practice being queen for when I'm coronated someday."

Flurry nodded, "I get it, it's a huge responsibility. It must be stressful to constantly prepare for such a big job."

Her sister chuckled, "More than you realize."

A maid then knocked on the open door and said, "Miladies, it's time for your magic lesson with Professor Sunburst."

Flurry said, "We're coming."

When the sisters followed the maid, Skyla whispered to Flurry, "See? She knows to knock first."

The corner of the younger sister's mouth deepened in annoyance.

When they reached the classroom, Sunburst and two other students were there. One of the students was Blaze, who the sisters were glad could come by this week. Blaze was the unicorn son of Princess Sunset Shimmer and Timber Spruce. He had an amber coat like his mom did, green eyes that he inherited from his father, and a mixture of manestyles from both parents. However, the main color in his mane was a dark shade of moderate raspberry, which made up a majority of his aunt Gloriosa Daisy's mane. The two mane colors he did inherit from his parents, brilliant amaranth and dark aquamarine, were arranged in two small stripes like the stripes in his aunt Twilight Sparkle's mane were.

Long ago, Sunset had met her husband in Splendor Woods and was able to break the curse on him and his sister. After Blaze was born, he, his parents, and their friends settled down in the manor given to them as a wedding gift by Sunset's former guardian, Starlight Glimmer. Sunset and Starlight had a history, which was admittedly mixed. However, they were on good terms ever since Sunset learned about her guardian's history and helped her reunite with her one true love. Starlight and Sunburst were now happily married and living in the Crystal Empire with their daughter, Nova Rose.

Nova Rose's coat was a lighter version of her mother's, her eyes were regular blue, and her orange-and-purple mane was slightly frizzy but with a smooth bang that almost hung over her left eye. She also inherited one spot from her father, but it was dark blue, shaped like a four-pointed star, and laid just above the nosepiece of her rose-framed glasses. Like both parents, she was a unicorn and so the other student in the room with her father.

Blaze and Nova Rose were both thirteen years old and shared a lean body shape that most ponies had just before they reached adolescence. Flurry Heart had this figure as well, but she was slightly taller than her cousin and friend and her chest was becoming prominent at her age. Both Blaze and Nova were eager to prove they were the best when it came to magic.

Sunburst turned to his daughter, "Nova, would you get _Primrose the Prescient's Protections and Prophecies_ and _Silverdust's Guide to Mystic Histories_ out?"

"Of course, Daddy."

"Remember, Nova. It's 'Professor' while we're in class."

"Right. Sorry, Professor." She magically got the books, but as she was about to walk over to her father, she tripped.

"Oops. My bad."

She looked up and glared at the colt that tripped her. "Sly Blaze."

"Dumb Rose," he smirked back.

She made a humph and moved on while magically picking up the books. She gave them to her father before taking her seat next to Flurry.

Flurry leaned in towards her and whispered slyly, "I think he likes you…"

Nova scoffed, "He does not. He sees me as a threat because I'm better at magic than him."

Skyla was sitting next to Blaze and whispered, "Why are you so mean to Nova?"

"Because she's a dumb filly."

Skyla gave a dubious look, "You're kidding, right? Last month, she beat you in that magic duel. I wouldn't call that dumb."

"She's dumb because she's naïve about becoming a great sorceress when her dad's just milking it for her. Meanwhile, I have to study hard and practice my magic on my own without tutors. Sure, Mom helped me out whenever she could, but she gave me more hooves-on experiences."

"But that doesn't explain why you pick on her so much."

He would have responded if Sunburst wasn't starting the lesson now.

"Today, we'll be working on the Magical Mindscape Manifestation Spell. Flurry Heart, Nova, why don't you come up and demonstrate for us?"

The two got up and faced each other. Flurry smiled as she lit up her horn, "Ready, Nova?"

Nova smiled back, "You know I am."

In a very light yellow flash, Flurry Heart was gone. Sunburst asked his daughter, "Is Flurry inside your mind right now?"

Nova nodded, "Um-hmm."

"All right. Tell her to come out now."

After several moments, Flurry Heart reappeared again. She remarked to Nova, "Wow, Nova! Who knew you had such a creative and beautiful mind?"

Nova smiled, "Thanks, Flurry."

Blaze muttered to himself, "I probably could've told her that." When Skyla looked at him, he corrected quickly, "If I was in her mind, I mean! Yeah!"

Nova said to Flurry, "Now let's see if I can get into _your_ mind."

The alicorn stood tall as she said with a smile, "Fire away."

When Nova lit up her horn, she disappeared in a dark cornflower blue flash. Sunburst then asked his student, "Well, Flurry, is Nova in your mind?"

Flurry nodded, "She is, Professor."

"Okay. Tell her to come out."

Flurry said in her thought, _You can come out now, Nova._

Surprisingly, Nova said in Flurry's head, _Give me a minute. I think I see something._

In concern, Flurry thought, _What is it?_

Sunburst asked, "Flurry, what's going on in there?"

She answered, "Nova thinks she sees something in my mind. From the tone in her voice, it could be important."

"Important? How?"

Just then, Nova reappeared in the classroom. She had a look on her face that was a mix of confusion and worry. She turned to Sunburst and asked, "Dad – I mean, Professor, may I talk to you for a bit?"

Sunburst answered with a concerned nod, "Yes, Nova." He faced the rest of his students and said, "Why don't you all practice the Triple M spell in the meantime?" While his apprentices were practicing the spell, he whispered to Nova, "What exactly did you see in Flurry's mind?"

Nova said, "Well, the ground in her mind was like regular ground, but in the middle, there was a bright glowing spot beneath it. It was huge and yellow like Flurry's magic."

This gave Sunburst some concern. When he told his students to proceed practicing other spells, he silently pondered on the possibilities that were linked to what Nova saw in Flurry's mind. The most prominent of those likelihoods was that the alicorn's magic was ready to come out.

A voice broke his trance, "Hey, everyone."

Surprised, Sunburst turned to see Cadance and Shining Armor standing by the door. The students saw the royals and said, "Hi!"

Cadance asked Sunburst, "So how goes the magic lessons?"

As much as he was unsettled by Nova's news, he gathered as much calm as possible and said, "Things are going along fine, Your Highnesses. Say, let's have the students perform levitation to show you." He asked the young apprentices, "What do you say, kids?"

All of them replied, "Yeah!"

Blaze went first and he managed to levitate all of the free objects in the room.

Sunburst praised, "Excellent, Blaze! Now, Nova."

Nova Rose levitated the same things Blaze did, which made him grumble, "Show-off."

Her father smiled, "Great job, Nova! Skyla."

Skyla, being older than her peers, naturally lifted everything the first two did, but this time, she also levitated the slightly-heavier stuff.

Cadance smiled in amazement as Shining Armor chuckled, "That's impressive, Skyla! We're so proud of you!"

His wife then said, "Flurry, why don't you give it a go?"

Flurry Heart took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

With deep concentration, she lifted everything her sister had lifted before. However, before anypony could say anything, the heaviest objects in the room suddenly became enveloped in a yellow aura. The ponies became shocked by the development.

Nova Rose said, "Um, Flurry…?"

Blaze said, "You can stop now." Just then, he, Nova, Sunburst, and Skyla were suddenly levitated into the air.

Skyla shot off, "Stop showing off!"

Flurry said worriedly, "I'm not showing off! I don't know how to stop this!" At that moment, her hooves left the ground and a very bright ball of magic started accumulating on her horn.

Shining Armor said in concern, "Um, Sunburst? Did the Fledgling's Forbearance…?"

Sunburst confirmed uneasily, "Yep. I think the spell wore off."

In a massive flash of yellow light, the Crystal Palace jumped into the air before landing – thankfully, intact – on the crystalline ground very roughly. Crashes could be heard throughout the castle and in nearby homes. Inside the palace, crystals had broken off the walls and pillars, and pieces of furniture were thrown from the original places. Fortunately, nopony got seriously injured, but their manes were certainly frizzy and they had shaken expressions. Inside the classroom, everything was a wreck and some ponies were buried in the debris.

Blaze emerged from a pile of books and coughed, "Wow. I think we have our new Wonder Mare!"

Skyla said as she levitated a bare bookshelf off of her, "That's not even funny."

Nova took Flurry Heart's hoof and pulled her from the rubble, asking her, "Are you okay?"

Flurry said as she brushed her fur off, "Yeah. I've seen better days."

At that moment, rushed hoofsteps were heard down the hallway until Sunset, Timber Spruce, and Starlight stopped at the doorway with worried looks on their faces.

Starlight asked anxiously, "Is everypony all right?!"

Timber added, "We saw this huge blast and then the palace came crashing down from the sky!"

Sunset asked, "What was that?"

Feeling quite ashamed, Flurry Heart pointed to herself and explained, "Me. I don't know what happened. I was trying to levitate the objects in the room, but then…my magic got out of control." She hung her head sadly and said, "I'm sorry."

Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other with solemn expressions and nodded as if in agreement with something. When they faced Flurry again, Cadance said, "Sweetheart, I think it's time your father and I told you something." She gestured for her youngest daughter to come forth and follow them.

Before the three of them went somewhere private, Shining Armor turned to Skyla and said, "Why don't you check to see if everypony's okay, Skyla? They need to see somepony like you right now."

Skyla nodded, "Yes, Father."

When Flurry and her parents reached her bedroom, she sat down on her bed while her mom and dad stood up.

Shining Armor sighed as he put his hoof behind his head, "Look, kiddo, this isn't exactly an easy thing to say, but since this happened, we need to tell you."

Flurry Heart grew worried as she asked, "What is it? Why is my magic so strong now? It wasn't this strong before."

Cadance calmed her daughter, "We know, we know. Back when you were just born, you had powerful magic that could cut holes through several floors of the castle. Your magic was so strong that when you cried, it…shattered the Crystal Heart."

Flurry put her hooves to her mouth as her eyes shrunk in shock of the revelation. She breathed, "You mean… _I_ broke the Crystal Heart before my crystalling?" Her heart dropped just from saying that.

Shining Armor tried to reassure her, "It was an accident, Flurry. It wasn't your fault."

Flurry asked with growing disdain in her voice, "Is that why you named me 'Flurry Heart' in the first place? To remind yourselves of the disaster I nearly caused to the Crystal Empire?" Tears then welled in her eyes.

Cadance wrapped her hooves around her daughter to comfort her and said, "It's not like that, Flurry. The reason we gave you that name was because we wanted to remember your crystalling as something special."

Shining Armor joked, "Yeah. We couldn't just name you 'Crystal' or anything like that. Too many things around here that have 'crystal' in their names. You stand out."

Flurry scoffed, "Do I stand out by almost wiping out the Empire with a snowstorm? Or how about today, when I made the palace shoot into the sky and crash down onto the earth? My magic has always been dangerous, hasn't it? That's why you mentioned 'Fledgling's Forbearance' in the classroom, because you used it to control my magic."

Her parents were surprised that she could've caught the name of the spell like that.

Cadance explained, "It was until you were old enough to control it by yourself, and I think now's that time."

Flurry asked, "What should I do?"

Shining Armor said, "We thought that when the time came, you would also be tutored by your Uncle Discord and Grandma Luna."

Cadance said, "They're very powerful magic wielders, Flurry, so you'll be in good hooves…and hands."

Flurry was feeling a bit hopeful after being told that. She asked again, "So when do I start my training?"

Shining Armor said with a smile, "After the Crystal Gala. We promise."

Skyla had checked all floors of the palace and the homes closest to the square. To her relief, everypony was all right, albeit frazzled. She was glad that Flurry's magic didn't harm anyone or cause extensive damage, but she worried that her sister would take advantage of her now-stronger magic and…

No. She couldn't think like that. This was her younger sister here. Flurry Heart was too kind-hearted for such things. As talented and powerful as she was, she never wanted to hurt anypony. It was then that Skyla remembered all of the rumors the Crystal Ponies had spread amongst themselves. If today's ginormous feat of magic - albeit accidental - only confirmed that Flurry was indeed more powerful than her sister, then they'd turn to her to protect them.

At that moment, a terrible worry began to plague Skyla: what if they wanted Flurry to be queen instead of her?

 ** _AN: CartoonNerd12 wrote the part where Blaze trips Nova Rose. I swear, she cannot give up her_** **Zootopia** ** _craze that easily! She also helped with the last paragraphs about Skyla worrying about Flurry Heart._**

 ** _To clear things up about Discord being referred to as an uncle, it's easier than saying 'cousin-in-law once removed'. Besides, Discord and the other husbands are practically like uncles to Skyla and Flurry._**


	3. Destiny

At the end of the day, Skyla met up with her parents again and gave them a full report on the aftermath of Flurry Heart's magic burst. Thankfully, the Crystal Heart had survived the castle crash. The decorations for the Crystal Gala, however, did not. Streamers were strewn all over the place and the glass ornaments had broken from falling off their hanging spots. It was such a huge mess.

Due to the crippling fear she had felt moments before, she couldn't help but compare herself to the destroyed decorations. Like them, she was polished, sparkling, and new until something had brought her down, namely the birth of her sister…

With each passing year, it seemed that Flurry was given more praise than she was. The crystal ponies and Professor Sunburst praised Flurry Heart for her special powers, and even her parents praised her little sister for her good nature. She would have lingered on her thoughts further had not a crystal maid come up to her.

"Your Highness."

She turned to the pony and smiled.

"As wonderful as it is for you to oversee the redecorating for the Crystal Gala, it's going to take such a long time to redo the whole thing."

"Is it? Well, thank you for informing me this."

"It's my pleasure, Princess. You and your sister mean so much to our kingdom."

"But…you do know that even if my sister wasn't here, I would be here protecting my subjects no matter what, right?"

The maid gave a confused look but smiled all the same, "Of course, Your Highness. As our future queen, we will always look to you for guidance." She then took her leave.

Skyla was a bit troubled by the maid's wording and went to a mirror that had cracked from this morning's power burst.

She said into it, "Am I not a strong magic wielder after all? As heir to the Crystal throne, I should be able to protect my ponies, but…it would seem that they would rather look to me for advice. Not that it's a bad thing, but shouldn't I have magic strong enough to face threats that might attack the Empire?"

She started singing, " _Look at me…I will never pass for a perfect queen…or a perfect daughter…Can it be…I'm not meant to play this part? Now I see…that if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart…Who is that girl I see…staring straight, back at me…Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Somehow I cannot hide…who I am…though I've tried…When will my reflection show…who I am inside?! When will my reflection show…who I am…inside?"_

Cadence, Shining Armor, Skyla, Flurry Heart, Sunset, Timber, and Blaze were all at the dinner table eating when Skyla brought up that the Gala decorations were going to take some time to be fixed.

Cadence pondered on that before smiling, "Well, since that's the case, perhaps it would be a good time to visit your cousins at the Everfree Kingdom."

Blaze and Flurry's eyes widened in excitement as Blaze exclaimed, "Alright! I get to see Cousin Whirl and Cousin Star!"

Flurry gleefully said, "I want to see Cousin Star too, and Cousin Screwy, and all the rest!"

Skyla pointed out, "We haven't seen them since last Hearth's Warming. It'll be great to visit them again."

Flurry gushed, "Ooh! I can't wait to see Dignity's new baby girl! I'll bet she's cute!"

Blaze reminded her, "Oh! And don't forget Whirl and Sky Blitz's kid! I bet she's going to be as fast as her parents are!"

Flurry asked her father, "Is anyone from Marendelle going to be at the Everfree Castle?"

Shining Armor answered, "They'll be here for the Gala, but not at the Everfree Kingdom. Sorry."

Her eyes looked down in disappointment and she uttered, "Oh. Okay. I was hoping to ask the aunts about how I should get my cutie mark." For alicorns like Flurry Heart, they didn't get their cutie marks until they almost reached adulthood.

Blaze said in astonishment, "Are. You. Kidding?! That magical blast you had today should've guaranteed a cutie mark for you!"

Sunset clarified, "Um, Blaze, a cutie mark appears when a pony knows what they want to do in life."

Timber added, "Or if their special talent shows up."

Blaze asked, "But doesn't having really strong magic count as a special talent?"

Cadance explained, "That might've been something Flurry Heart inherited from her father and me."

Flurry said, "Yeah, and I don't want to cause huge magical bursts for a living."

Shining Armor suggested, "Maybe you can talk to your Marendelle aunts through the magic mirror at the Everfree Castle. They might give you suggestions about getting a cutie mark."

Flurry smiled, "That sounds great, Dad."

Somehow, Skyla couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that something was going happen.

After dinner, the kids were told to pack their bags for the train trip to Ponyville the next morning, to which Blaze had groaned, "But we just got here!"

When Flurry Heart finished putting her essentials in her baggage, she decided to go out on the balcony that overlooked the Crystal Empire. Even though she was ecstatic about going to the Everfree Kingdom, she was still forlorn about two things: the magic incident today and the fact that she broke the Crystal Heart…as a _baby_. She looked up at the night sky and saw the beautiful streaks of aurora that always lit up the starry sky for as long as she could remember. She knew the pink ray represented her mother, the blue represented her grandmother Luna, and the yellow represented her great-aunt Celestia. However, the yellow aurora also reminded Flurry of her own magic, which had now become unusually strong. Given what happened today, she grew ashamed of her powers and never wanted to use them again.

A voice asked, "Is anything wrong, kiddo?"

Flurry gasped from being brought out of her trance and turned to see her parents and Aunt Sunset just stepping onto the balcony. She tittered nervously, "It's a lovely view up here, isn't it?"

Cadance said, "Flurry, I know something is bothering you. Is it about the magic burst this morning?"

Flurry groaned, "And the Crystal Heart! And everything about my magic! I'm too dangerous to be around other ponies!"

Shining Armor calmed her, "Oh, stop it, Flurry. You're not dangerous. You know how strong your magic is. If you wanted to use it to harm others, _then_ you'd be dangerous."

Sunset agreed, "Yeah, kiddo. Your magic is just acting out of whack right now, but your cousin Snow Pea showed me that learning to control it will help you and others greatly."

Flurry sighed, "I know that, but…I'm also worried about getting a cutie mark. Is it going to be destructive? Am I going to end up destroying or nearly destroying things?" Tears threatened to escape her eyes.

Cadance put her hoof on her daughter's shoulder and comforted, "I highly doubt it, honey. Whatever your cutie mark's going to be, I bet it'll be special."

The young princess gave a small smile and said, "I hope you're right, Mom." Her head hung again as she added, "I mean, what good a princess would I be if my cutie mark was for evil?"

She walked to the railing again and sang, _"It isn't that I'm ungrateful…for all the things that I've earned…for all the journeys I have taken…all the lessons that I have learned…But I wonder where I'm going now…what my role is meant to be…I don't know how to travel…to a future that I can't see…I have my wings, I have my crown…I'm a princess, this is true…But it's still unclear to me just what I am meant to do…_

 _"_ _I want to have a purpose, want to do all that I can…I want to make a contribution…I want to be a part of the plan…"_

Shining Armor put his hoof on Flurry's shoulder and sang, _"Your destiny's uncertain…and that's sometimes hard to take…but it will become much clearer…with every new choice you make…"_

Sunset walked up to her and sang, _"Patience is never easy…I understand wanting more…I know how hard it is to wait…to spread your wings and soar…"_

Flurry's mother then sang, _"But you stand here for a reason…You're gifted and you are strong…A crown is upon your head because you belong…"_

The three adults sang, _"Know that your time is coming soon…As the sun rises, so does the moon…As love finds a place in every heart, you are a princess…You'll play your part…"_

Sunset sang, _"We understand you wanting more…A chance to shine, a chance to soar…"_

Cadance sang, _"Soon will come the day it turns around!"_

The adults reprised, _"Know that your time is coming soon…As the sun rises, so does the moon….As love finds a place in every heart…you are a princess…You'll play your part…"_

Shining Armor came up to his daughter and finished, _"You are our princess…You'll play your part…"_

Touched by the adults' kind gesture, Flurry wrapped her arms around her father. Cadance and Sunset then joined the heartwarming hug.

After sending their daughters to bed, the royal couple climbed into bed to grab a little shuteye. However, sleep was not kind to Cadance. She dreamt of shadows seeping from her mother's moon and enshrouding the entire land in darkness. Unicorns were losing their magic and Pegasi could no longer fly. The darkness soon reached a crystalline tree and everything went black. The image then returned to the moon, but this time, a dark silhouette was seen on the heavenly sphere. The figure had a long horn, bat wings, and long, wavy hair. When the black shadow opened its glowing white eyes, Cadance gasped as she sat up in her bed.

Shining Armor, hearing his wife's sudden gasp, woke up and asked in concern, "Cady, what's wrong?"

Cadance put her hoof on her beloved's shoulder and apologized, "I'm sorry, Shiny. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Well, that usually means something's wrong. What is it?"

The princess sighed, "It…was a bad dream, but…it felt so real, like…"

Shining Armor finished, "A vision?"

Most of the Alicorn royals had the gift of foresight. When Cadance showed signs of it when she was little, Luna taught her how to distinguish a dream from a vision. Sometimes, though, Cadance would have visions while she was awake. They were always so sudden and so random, but nevertheless, they almost always came true. One vision in particular was of her, her mother, and a pair of glowing eyes in darkness.

A scraggly voice echoed, _"You are my flower and you shall belong to me!"_

The vision had ended with a flash of light that burst from above the eyes. Cadance had that prediction just days before Tirek came and cursed her to be a Breezie.

Cadance nodded her head, "Yes."

Her husband asked, "Can you make sense of what you saw?"

She racked her brain as she said, "I saw…strange shadows trickling from the moon and covering the land in darkness."

Shining Armor asked in near-alarm, "You don't think it's the Reign of Darkness again, do you?"

During the short-lived Reign of Darkness, Belladonna transformed Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon, who cast a sleeping curse on all ponies. While the moon stayed up in the sky, the Umbrum were free to go out and terrorize all who were awake. The Reign of Darkness would've lasted forever had the Umbrum insignia fully covered the moon. Thankfully, though, the only royals who were awake stopped the shadowy creatures and brought both Radiant Hope and Luna back.

Cadance shook her head, "No, I don't think so." She put her hoof on her chin as she pondered, "Still…the silhouette in my vision looked strangely like Nightmare Moon, but with bat wings." Her eyes widened as she thought of a horrible possibility. "What if my mother gets corrupted again, but this time, it'll be worse?!"

Shining Armor comforted her, "Cady, if your mother's anything, it's resilient. Trust me, she won't go back to being bad. I promise."

Cadance gave him a smile and hugged her husband, saying, "Thank you, Shiny. Thank you." She then kissed him on the lips.

Unbeknownst to them, Skyla was tossing and turning in her bed. She was dreaming about a dark silhouette with a long horn, bat wings, and glowing white eyes…

 ** _AN: Mystery level raised! I'm that good, aren't I? You can thank me later._**

 ** _The songs in this chapter are "Reflection" from_** **Mulan** ** _and "You'll Play Your Part"._**

 ** _Big thanks to CartoonNerd12 for once again taking the helm for Skyla's part (not the end of the chapter, mind you). She has experience being the older sister, so expect more writing from her with many of Skyla's scenes._**


	4. To Ponyville

Flurry said, "I don't understand why we need to have guards escort us to the train station."

Skyla wearily answered with bags under her eyes, "Mom and Dad must be worried about something again. Could be a new threat."

"How do you know?"

"Because…" She rubbed her eyes before continuing, "…I have Mom's foresight, and I saw a dark silhouette cackling madly."

"What was it?"

"Shh! We're coming up to the train station now."

When the guards brought the young ones to the train conductor, he bowed and said, "Your Highnesses." When he looked up, he was surprised to see another pony with the sisters and Blaze. He then added, "And guest."

Blaze grumbled, "Believe me, it was unexpected."

Nova Rose retorted, "Hey, I didn't ask to come with you guys! My parents insisted on it!"

The conductor uneasily said, "Well, unfortunately, there are no extra seats for the young lady, I'm afraid."

The look of dismay on Nova's face saddened Blaze. As much as he didn't like her all that much, there was a part of him that actually cared about her. After some thought, Blaze begrudgingly suggested, "She'll take my seat."

The sisters and Nova looked at him in surprise. Flurry breathed, "Blaze…"

Nova rebutted, "But you're a prince! You shouldn't give up your seat for somepony like me."

Blaze muttered to her, "I would sooner leave you here, but that wouldn't be very princely of me. Besides, I might have my own royal car."

Just then, the conductor shouted, "Bring in a royal car for the young prince!"

Blaze smirked at Nova, "See? Told ya."

While the crystal train chugged along the railroad, Flurry Heart gazed at the landscape outside the window next to her seat. It filled her soul with so much wonder that all of her troubles seemed to melt away, but the moment was short-lived when she heard her sister yawning.

She faced a drowsy Skyla and asked, "Are you okay, sis?"

Skyla tiredly nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"I don't know. You didn't get much sleep last night." She pulled a pillow out of her knapsack and gave it to Skyla, saying, "Here. Take it. You need it more than I do."

Skyla was hesitant about going to sleep again, but she wanted to look presentable to her relatives and any of the Ponyvillians she might meet. "Thanks, Flurry."

After Skyla put her head down on the pillow, Nova Rose – who was sitting next to them on the same bench – remarked, "That was a very generous thing for you to do, Flurry."

Flurry shrugged, "Hey, I was inspired by Blaze. He gave you his spot when you didn't have one. It's a sure sign he likes you." She smirked at her friend.

Nova scoffed, "He does not. He calls me dumb and teases me whenever he gets the chance."

"Maybe you should go talk to him, then. I know for a fact that my cousin is as princely as they come…" She then muttered, "…more or less."

Nova then sighed and said, "Okay. You win. I'll go talk to Blaze." After she got off her spot, she faced Flurry again and added, "But I'll tell him it was your idea."

Nova went into the royal car, where she saw a happy Blaze being served by Crystal ponies that came with the pristine coach. She had to roll her eyes as she approached him.

He saw her and frowned, "Shouldn't you be in the seat you took from me?"

Nova retorted, "You know what, Blaze? You act like a jerk, but that's all it is: an act."

"What do you mean?" he furrowed his brow.

"You didn't have to give up your spot next to your cousins, yet you did."

"Well, duh, I am a prince. I was obliged to do that."

"You keep telling yourself that, but I know better. You don't act the way you do towards me like you do with your cousins and other ponies."

"That's because I like them. You? Not so much."

She knew she shouldn't have let that hurt her, but it was hard not to feel the sting of his words.

Blaze started regretting what he said when he saw the strength in her expression wilting. He didn't mean for it to go that far, but it slipped out.

Nova kept her head high, "I see. Well, I'll just leave you be, Your Highness. Sorry to have disturbed you." She quickly left the car.

Blaze grabbed a pillow and hit himself with it while saying, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why did you say that? Sure, I don't like her as much as I do my cousins, but I like her more than she could ever know…"

The screech of the crystal train stopping at the station cut through everypony's ears. When the train came to a full stop, Discord turned to the five-pony band and said, "Okay, on my mark…" After trumpets decorated with flags of the Crystal Empire crest blew a fanfare, Discord said, "Now!"

As the young royals and Nova were stepping off the train, the band played a lively tune. They were surprised to see a welcoming committee greeting them with such warmth.

Skyla – feeling refreshed from her nap - remarked, "Wow. I can't believe you put all of this together, especially since it's Nova's first time in Ponyville."

Discord asked in confusion, "It is?" When Flurry kicked his leg, he uttered an "Oh!" He then forcibly smiled as he said, "I mean, it _is_ , so that's why I rallied this welcoming committee. Just to welcome little Miss Nova…Tulip here to Ponyville." He smiled sheepishly to try to make it convincing.

Flurry whispered to Nova, "He'll get your name right once he gets to know you."

Nova smiled in reassurance.

As Discord and the kids walked to the Everfree Castle, Blaze asked, "So, Uncle Discord, what are you doing here in the Everfree Kingdom?"

He conjured up a letter and said, "This." He opened the letter and put his reading glasses on. He cleared his throat and read aloud, "'To the Honorable and Trustworthy Discord…'"

The kids rolled their eyes at that because they knew he was ad-libbing some of the words.

"'We are in really big trouble because we don't know how to handle this situation. Flurry Heart has now become a magic bomb the size of the moon.'"

Flurry expressed annoyance while Blaze snickered at that. Skyla jabbed him to make him stop.

"'Since we are too helpless and clueless to help her, you are our only hope. Who else but you to take on this difficult and life-threatening task? Who else but the kindly, strong, powerful, handsome, lovable, extraordinary, and –'" He yelped as he tripped over a tree root.

Blaze teased, "Not so extraordinary now, are you?"

The kids chuckled while Discord scowled.

Nova magically took the letter that fell out of his paws after his fall and faced Flurry, "Here's what it really says: 'Dear Discord, the Fledgling's Forbearance spell on Flurry Heart has worn off and her magic has once again become uncontrollable. Shining Armor and I agreed it was time for you and my mother to help her as you two are well-trained with using strong magic. Flurry will be coming with her sister and cousin to Ponyville while preparations for the Crystal Gala will be underway. If you have the time, please go there and help Flurry.' Then it's signed by Princess Cadence."

Discord said, "And you were in luck. I was already on my way to the Everfree Castle to check up on Screwball."

"Do you miss her terribly since she moved to the castle with her husband along with the rest of the cousins and their spouses?" Skyla asked.

Flurry sighed, "She's so lucky, and so is every one of our cousins that have children or are about to have a child. I wish I was married and having a baby."

Unbeknownst to all of them, Blaze slightly glanced at Nova before she looked at him and he turned his head away.

Discord replied, "Of course I miss my little Screwy. After all, no matter how big she gets, she'll always be my little girl, and that son-in-law of mine better be treating her right! Or else…" His eyes glowed in a menacing way.

But the cousins rolled their eyes; their uncle could really overreact over something so trivial.

Discord then put on a smile, "So what are we standing around for?! We have to get to the castle!" He snapped his fingers and they were all teleported in front of the Everfree Castle entrance, where the guards permitted them in. But once they were in the hallway, a blast of green fire came at them. Fortunately, they ducked in time, leaving the wall above them scorched.

They heard a baby giggle and looked up to see a year-and-a-half-old Turquoise flapping her dragon wings. Apple Jewel rushed over calling her daughter's name and saw the group.

"Sorry, guys! But Turquoise has started flying and is learning to breathe fire, too! Thank goodness Star and Screwy fireproofed the place!"

Turquoise giggled again and flew off.

"Asher! She's coming your way!"

Asher's voice called out, "On it, honey!"

Jewel sighed in relief before facing her cousins, uncle, and Nova Rose. "We were expecting your arrival. Star's waiting in the throne room."

"Where's Screwy?" Discord asked.

"Don't worry. She and Mothball will be along. They said they had to take care of something first."

Discord felt suspicious, but let it go for now.

They made their way to the throne room where Star was sitting on a throne with her husband, Pen Pusher, standing right beside her. Star was five months pregnant, so he wanted to make sure his wife was as comfortable as possible while still attending to her duties of running the Everfree Kingdom, just as her mother did before her. Dignity was sitting on a throne next to her. He was now the father of a one-month-old filly that he and Mauve named Opulence. Whirl Wind was right next to him on his own throne, and he was also a new father to a two-month-old filly named Gale Force.

There were thrones for Jewel and Screwy as well. The other cousins - Fire Spark, Cotton Candy, and Gemstone - were married and lived in different places. Fire and his wife, Dawn Twirl, owned their own laboratory in Canterlot and were childless at the moment due to their busy lifestyle. The same could be said for Cotton and her husband, Prince Cannon Fire. Their royal duties in Maretonia made them busy and tired, so they couldn't have children at the moment. However, Gem and her husband, Seam, lived in Manehattan and were expectant at three months.

Upon seeing Skyla and Flurry, Star got up from her throne in excitement and started chanting the sunshine, sunshine rhyme their mothers taught them. This time, though, Star had to clap hooves with both sisters.

Blaze went up to Whirl and they hoof-bumped.

"Great to see you, cuz."

"Likewise, Blazy." Whirl winked.

"Ugh, you know I hate that nickname." Then they both ended up chuckling.

"How's fatherhood going for you?"

Whirl gave a weary expression, "Not at all like I expected, but it has it upsides. Gale is already showing promise of being an excellent flyer when she grows up."

Skyla came in on the conversation, "Where is the cutie?"

"With Sky. She loves showing our little foal the Wonderbolt Headquarters. Plus, it gives her a chance to be a better mother than how she was raised. They'll both be here in time for the party tonight."

Flurry inquired, "Party? What party?"

Dignity, Star, and Jewel glared at Whirl, who sheepishly grinned while saying, "Oops."

Star sighed, "It was supposed to be a surprise. We planned a party in Ponyville when we learned you were coming."

Flurry smiled, "Oh, you didn't have to do that."

Skyla countered, "Actually, yes, she should. Star knows how important it is to greet royal guests - whether they be blood-related or not - with a festivity of some sort."

Starling nodded, "Exactly. As the next queen of Canterlot, it is my responsibility to make sure our allies are well-treated with the upmost importance."

Blaze commented, "I swear, you royal heirs take everything so seriously."

Whirl beamed, "They do, don't they?"

Flurry pointed, "Well, since you're throwing a party, how about instead of it being about our arrival, it should be about Nova Rose's first time in Ponyville?"

Nova blushed and stammered, "Oh, that's not really necessary, Your Highnesses."

Flurry motioned, "I insist. What do you think, Star?"

Star merely smiled, "If that's what you want, Flurry."

Skyla felt a bit unsure about this, but Flurry was right about it being Nova's first time in Ponyville. Given how Nova was upset for the rest of the train ride after Flurry told her that Blaze said some hurtful things to her, Skyla agreed that a party was what she needed.

Nova kept protesting, "Really, Your Majesties, you don't have to do this."

Flurry put her hoof over her shoulder, "Don't be silly. We want to do this for you."

Nova looked over to Blaze, who briefly looked at her before avoiding eye contact with her. She asked, "Would you have any objections with this, Prince Blaze?"

"Me? Not in the slightest. If my cousins want to throw you a party, who am I to stop them?" He turned to his relatives, "Now, if you excuse me, I better go up to my guest room and rest for tonight." He quickly walked past Nova and left the room.

Star, Jewel, Dignity, and Whirl exchanged confused glances and looked over to Flurry and Skyla. The sisters gave knowing glances and smirks, which caused the other cousins to smirk in return, realizing young love was in the works.

Star told Nova, "You're going to have a great time tonight, Nova."

"I hope you're right, Your Majesty," Rose gave an uneasy smile.

The party was in full swing as ponies gathered in the main square next to the Town Hall. Stringed lights hung everywhere and couples were dancing to the music, such as the Cakes, Cranky and Matilda, Thunderlane and Flitter, and Derpy and Dr. Hooves.

The royal couples stood on the sidelines as they watched their ponies have fun. Sky was next to Whirl and holding Gale in her arms. Mauve did the same with Opulence and Apple Jewel with Turquoise. Skyla stood next to Star as Flurry was mingling with some ponies about her age.

"So you're Thunder and Flitter's son, and you're Derpy and Dr. Hooves' daughter?" Flurry inquired.

Sound Wave - who took after his dad, but had his mom's eyes and mane color - replied, "That's right. I'm also Roller and Skater's cousin, in case you didn't know."

Flurry giggled, "No, I knew that. They gave me a picture of you, but you looked much younger then."

He smirked, "What can I say? I had a growth spurt."

"He's just fooling around," Dreamy Gaze nudged him.

Dreamy had wall-eyes like her mother and had her blond mane, but her coat was her father's. Despite the name, she was actually very bright and observant, even if she did get distracted every once in a while.

The ponies giggled.

Blaze was on the other side of the square watching Nova Rose socializing with young colts that were their age. His stomach felt weird when he saw them like that. Flurry suddenly came up to him, saying.

"You know, if you're so worried, you should ask her to a dance, especially to make up for that terrible thing you said to her on the train."

He faced her and could see she was giving a sullen look at him. He sighed, "I deserve that. I didn't mean to say that to her. It just… came out wrong…"

"Then tell her that."

"It's not that easy, Flurry! I can't just go up to her and tell her, 'Sorry for those rotten things I said. Would you please dance with me?'!"

Flurry rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that. It's not like you're an expert on relationships. And yes, I know your parents are the ultimate love couple, but you've never been in a relationship yourself, so how can you tell me what to do when you've never been in love either?"

She sighed, "Fair enough. You're right. I don't know what it's like to be in love, but I do know that you need to say something before it's too late. At least think about that."

The party calmed down as Screwball and Mothball came onto the scene while the changeling said, "All right. All right. May we have your attention please?"

Screwball said, "Nova, do we have your permission to make an announcement?"

Nova nodded, "Sure! I would like to hear what it is."

The Earth pony smiled, "Great! So, just recently, we commissioned a cake made by the talented Cake twins. They did a wonderful job on it."

The ponies applauded, making the Cake twins blush.

Mothball said, "The reason why we had this cake made is very special. We wanted to share it with you all."

Screwball pointed to Discord, "Especially Dad. I promised to tell him first."

Discord grinned while holding his cup, "Ooh, I like the sound of this." He then took a sip of his drink.

Mothball whispered to the Cake twins, "Okay, now."

The siblings unboxed the cake as Screwball and Mothball announced gleefully, "We're having a baby!"

Everypony cheered wildly while Discord was caught off-guard and spit out his drink in shock. The ruckus stopped as the guests stared at him.

Discord smiled nervously, "Oh, that's…unexpected, darling. My little girl, about to have her very own baby. Yep. Heh-heh. I'm about to become a grandfather. Whoo…"

At first, it seemed like Screwball wasn't happy with her father's reaction, but surprisingly, she hugged him and whispered, "Thank you, Dad. Even if it was close enough."

He forcibly smiled on the outside, but inside, a mix of emotions roiled like a hurricane. He thought to himself, _My little Screwball, pregnant?_

 _ **AN: CartoonNerd12 wrote the section about Blaze and Nova's talk in the royal car and the long section that begins with "Nova magically took…" to "'think about that.'". She was a huge help in writing this chapter. She was also the one who suggested a party much like what the Dwarves threw for Snow White in the film. I, however, suggested that Flurry makes the party about Nova. That particular situation said a lot about Skyla and Flurry's characters.**_

 **** ** _For how Thunderlane and Flitter came to live in Ponyville, I recommend reading the spin-off_** **The Quest for Family** ** _. It's posted on CN12's homepage, so look there. It also delves into Derpy and Dr. Hooves' love story._**


	5. Making a Mark

**_AN: The song in the chapter is "Thunderella's Song" from_** **Happily Ever After** ** _. It's relatively unknown, so I can't blame you. I have the link to the song here so it'd be easier to follow. You're going to have to start at the 1:57 mark on YouTube, though. watch?v=hF9oM344vDY_**

Later that night, after the party was over, everypony went back home to rest. The royals shuffled off to the Everfree Castle to climb into their comfortable beds. Skyla, however, was restless. She did not want to go to sleep in case she had the vision again. True, she had a quick nap on the train, but that's all it was: a nap. The last time she had the vision, she was sleeping through the night, more than the hour she got during her midday nap. To remedy this, she got up from her bed and went out the door.

Just then, Flurry Heart heard a thump and jolted awake. She asked, "Hello? Who's there?"

She climbed out of bed and walked to the open door. To her surprise, she found Skyla sleeping on the floor.

She chuckled softly, "Oh, Skyla."

She used her magic to levitate her sister, even though she was afraid that her magic would go wonky again. Thankfully, Flurry set Skyla down on her bed without any mishaps. Before she could get some shuteye again, the alicorn heard strange noises outside her window. She looked out to see Discord muttering to himself in the garden. With her curiosity now raised, she trotted all the way downstairs to the door leading to the garden. She opened the door just enough for her to peek through and see Discord. She hoped he didn't hear the creaking sound the door made, but thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

Discord fretted, "I'm going to be a grandfather! I'm going to be a grandfather! I'm too young to be a grandfather!" He then growled angrily, "That changeling Scumball! He did this to her! He's going to make my daughter suffer through every downside of pregnancy!"

He wailed in sorrow, "Why, Screwball?! Why?! You're my little girl! You shouldn't be pregnant so soon!" He then said excitedly, "I'm going to be a grandpa! Yes! Take that, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich!"

He began to dance as he sang, _"I'm gonna be a grandpa! I'm gonna be a grandpa! I'm gonna –_ Huh? _"_ At that moment, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. He knew that someone had just listened in on him.

Flurry Heart was about to sneak away from the door when it suddenly opened!

Discord said, "Ah-ha! I just caught myself an eavesdropper!" When Flurry turned back to face her relative sheepishly, he wagged his finger and admonished, "Now, princess, you know it's impolite to eavesdrop on other ponies."

Flurry smirked, "Yes, but you're not a pony."

Discord realized she was right and chortled, "Oh-ho-ho! So I'm not. I like your style." He then asked, "So, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Flurry answered, "Well, I just wanted to check up on you after I saw you talking to yourself in the garden."

Discord cringed, "Was I that loud?"

"No. I was up helping Skyla get back into bed. She fell asleep on the floor for some reason."

The draconequus snickered, "Too bad you didn't get any pictures of it."

"Yeah. Well, I should get back to bed now."

Before she could start walking away, Discord stopped her, "Hold it, hold it. As long as you're up, why don't we have a little chat? You know, girl to…guy."

"But I'm supposed to be in bed before midnight at the latest."

"Oh, come on. You're in the Everfree Kingdom now. Surely, you'll have a little leeway when it comes to rules and protocol. Tell you what? I'll let you sleep in tomorrow morning. After all, training doesn't start until you're ready."

Flurry smiled, "Thank you. I'd really appreciate it. Plus, I don't think I could get to sleep again until I let my worries out."

Discord wrapped his lion arm around her and walked with her to the garden as he said, "And that's what I'm here for." He snapped his fingers and a tall tree with lavender-colored leaves sprouted from the ground. Flurry sat on one branch and Discord lied on his stomach on the opposite branch. "Spill the beans. Don't leave out any details."

Flurry rubbed her arm as she began, "Well, um…There's my magic."

Discord waved his claw in dismissal as he said, "Yes, yes, yes. I know about that. What else?"

"Just please listen to me on this. I'm worried that my magic's going to do something bad, so I try not to use it a lot anymore."

"Ah," Discord uttered as he put his finger on his chin. "You know, this reminds me of someone I know."

"Who?"

"Your cousin, Snow Pea, of course. Talk with her about your magic and you should be good to go for your training."

"But she's too busy training to run a kingdom. I'm not. That actually brings me to my second worry. I think all the training Skyla has to go through is getting to her. She might be stressing herself out for no reason. I just want her to relax so we could have fun like we used to."

Discord was now wearing psychologist attire and appeared to be contemplating as he held a notepad in his hand. "Um-hmm." He asked as he was writing, "And judging by what you said earlier about Ms. Skyla sleeping on the floor…" He tried to stifle a chuckle as he brought that up. He then cleared his throat, "…would you say that having some sister time would be the best remedy for her woes?"

Flurry nodded, "Yes! Exactly!"

"Well, that's simple enough! Arrange a picnic, a walk around town, or even reading to spend time with Skyla." He let out an aggravated groan before he continued, "Honestly, I was hoping for some juicy stuff to gossip – I mean, sort out with you." He asked her with pleading eyes, "Are you sure you don't have any ripe details to divulge?"

Flurry thought on it until she smirked, "Actually, I might…but you have to tell me about your problems first."

Discord was caught off-guard by that, so he rebuffed, "Who, me? Nah! You don't want to hear about my troubles."

"Is this about Screwball's baby?"

He answered nervously, "Um, no! No! What makes you suggest that?"

Flurry said as she pointed to something, "You have baby stuff floating behind you."

Sure enough, baby toys and blankets were floating behind Discord.

He snapped them all away as he tittered uneasily, "Oh, that! You see, I'm just excited about being a grandfather."

The alicorn shook her head, "Nah, that's not what your mood swings indicated."

"They weren't mood swings! They were…" When Flurry gave him an unconvinced look, he groaned, "Okay, they were mood swings." He sighed as he sat back on his branch, "Look, don't tell anyone about this, especially not Screwball. She'd flip a lid if she knew I was freaking out about being a grandpa. It just…happened so fast. One minute, she was my little girl, and the next, she's got a bun in the oven. If only there was some way to change time and…" He suddenly got an idea and a wicked grin began to curve upwards as did his ears. He rubbed his hands together as he said in a low, devious voice, "…and maybe make Screwball my little filly forever." He then chuckled sneakily.

Flurry quickly stopped him by saying firmly, "No. No way, Uncle Discord. The last time there was a time change, the cousins went into an alternate timeline."

Discord grumbled, "Oh, fine."

Back when the cousins were living in Canterlot, Twilight issued a decree for any pony to come woo the young princes and princesses. This resulted in friction amongst the cousins and that friction fueled the Windigos enough to take Snow Pea away. The icy ghouls made Snow Pea wear a tiara with a gem that could change time. When Snowy destroyed the day of a tornado, she and the cousins were whisked away to an alternate timeline where their parents never met. Eventually, they fixed everything and Snow Pea eliminated the Windigos once and for all.

Flurry comforted, "Look, I know it must be hard for you to have your daughter grow up. Trust me, my dad knows."

"Oh, does he now?"

"Yes."

"Well, you and your sister aren't married yet, so he wouldn't know what it's like to have one of his darlings become pregnant just like that."

"You're right. But soon, he will."

"In the meantime, though, you should air out your other problem. The one you promised to tell if I told mine?" He raised his brow as he uttered, "Hmm?"

Flurry sighed, "Okay. You know how I haven't got my cutie mark yet?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, Blaze thought it would be something involving my magic since…you know."

"I see. And has the incident got your mind on cutie marks again?"

"In a way, yeah. You see, I'm scared that it might have something to do with harming other ponies. I don't want that."

"Well, if I had a cutie mark, it would be chaotic. And you know what? That's considerably better than an evil cutie mark."

Flurry raised her brow in confusion and said, "I don't get it."

"Okay, the way I see it is that chaos opposes order, not good. _Evil,_ on the other hoof, opposes good. Chaos is just plain craziness, not evil. You see?"

Flurry Heart wasn't sure she got the entire gist, but she got at least some of it. She rubbed her arm as she said, "I guess. But I want my cutie mark to define me, to fit me to a T. If I find the one thing I'm good at, then maybe I can fit in better."

When Discord heard music playing, he deadpanned, "Oh, great. You're going to sing a musical number, aren't you?"

As if confirming what he said, Flurry began to sing, _"There is something wrong…Magic scares me…even though I know…I'm in good company…You are not afraid…but I'm not that strong…You are all so brave…How can I still belong? What makes you you…and who am I? What can I do…without blue skies?_

 _"If the sun can keep shining bright…then why can't I shine, too? If the moon can light up the night…like moons are meant to do…And the ocean stays deep…And the earth always turns…Ooh, ooh…If the sun can keep shining bright…then why can't I shine, too?_

 _"_ _If I can learn…from someone who's smart…or pretty, or cheerful, or bright…then I can be the best that I can…I can…I can get it right! If the sun can keep shining bright…then that's what I must do…And if the moon can light up the night…well, I can do that, too…If the sun can keep shining bright…then I can…I can…I can…I can get it right!"_

Discord clapped his hands and said, "Bravo, little Flurry. If you didn't get your cutie mark in singing, then I don't know what."

"Thanks." She then yawned, "I'm getting tired. Can we go to bed now?"

He then yawned, "Now that you mention it, I'm a little sleepy myself." As he rubbed his eyes, he offered, "Tell you what? I'll carry you to bed first since you are a princess."

"But you're a prince yourself."

"Yes, but princes like me always have to carry sleepy princesses to bed."

Flurry asked, "Is this a way to relive the days when Screwball was a filly?"

Discord let out a sheepish grin, "Well, technically, yes."

Flurry shrugged, "Okay. As you wish."

When the thinking tree shrunk back into the ground, Discord grabbed Flurry Heart and carried her to the door. But just a few seconds after they went through the door…

 _Whump!_

Discord was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the floor. Flurry sighed as he began to snore.

It happened again. Skyla had the vision again. This time, it was scarier. The shadow alicorn gave chase to her and her sister, and Flurry stopped to fight it. To Skyla's horror, the shadowy figure crushed Flurry under its hoof. The enemy turned its glowing white eyes towards Skyla and the princess was frozen with fear. The vision ended when the shadow lunged at her.

She yelped as she woke up with a start. She refused to go back to sleep after that. When the dawn broke, Skyla was wrought with exhaustion and fear that still lingered from her vision.

 _What is happening to me?_ she thought to herself.

When Flurry saw her, she remarked, "Whoa, Skyla. You don't look so good."

Skyla shook her head wearily, "What? No, no. I'm actually fine." She then yawned, "Just swell."

"Was it that vision again?"

"What makes you think it was?"

Flurry furrowed her brow as she said, "Come on, Skyla. You can't hide things like this. It could mean something. We have to tell Star about this."

As her sister began walking out of the room, Skyla trotted up to her and said, "But we're supposed to have a good time here. Besides, we shouldn't burden them with this on top of their royal duties and worrying about your magic." Suddenly, she saw a shadow creeping around the corner. Fearing that her vision was coming true, Skyla crouched in front of Flurry and readied for attack. She cried as she did this, "Look out!"

To their surprise, Whirl appeared and waved his hooves in surrender. He exclaimed, "Whoa, whoa! Easy with the horn, Skyla!" As Skyla deactivated her horn, he continued, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you must've had a pretty bad nightmare last night. Grab a nap this afternoon, okay?"

When Whirl left the sisters, Flurry told Skyla, "That's it. I'm telling."

Before Skyla could protest, Flurry teleported away. The unicorn sighed in defeat because she knew it was hard to deter her sister.

Star asked, "And you're sure these visions are signaling an oncoming threat?"

Skyla nodded her head, "They felt so real to me and yet…not real."

"Visions like yours can be confusing and random, but they often have one thing in common. In this case, your visions point to a shadow alicorn."

Flurry Heart pointed out, "Well, the last time there was a pony that was a shadow _and_ an alicorn at the same time was Belladonna. When she wore the Air Vest, she sprouted bat wings to make her fly."

Star asked in concern, "Do you suppose she'll return?"

Skyla shivered, "I hope not."

Just then, a page entered the throne room and said, "Your Highness, the guests have arrived."

Star told him, "You may send them in."

After the page left, Skyla said, "I wasn't aware we weren't the only guests this week."

Flurry asked her cousin, "Who are they?"

Just then, a familiar voice declared, "Who else but your one and only cousins from Marendelle?"

The sisters smiled as they turned to see three of the cousins – Roller Blade, Skater, and Apple Butter.

Flurry ran up to hug them as she exclaimed, "Hey, guys! Long time, no see!"

Skyla said to them, "We're so happy to see you here!"

After Flurry pulled back from the hug, Skater explained, "When we heard that Flurry was having trouble getting her cutie mark, we thought we could help."

Apple Butter pulled out a book chockfull of bookmarks and assorted material like leaves and stickers. She added, "Our mothers crusaded for their cutie marks whenever they had free time on their hooves. After they got their cutie marks, they wrote a book based on this one to help other ponies find what makes them special."

Flurry said sadly, "Thank you for this, guys, but…Snow Pea's not coming?"

Skyla hissed, "Flurry!"

Skater said, "It's all right." She put her hoof on Flurry's shoulder and comforted, "I know Snow Pea will understand what you're going through, but she won't be able to see you until the Crystal Gala."

Apple Butter added, "But in the meantime, we could help you find what makes you special."

Roller Blade pointed out, "That way, we won't be totally useless." Skater jabbed him in the ribs and he uttered, "Ow! What?"

Flurry shook her head, "I don't think you're useless. You're princesses and a prince from Marendelle. What's useless about that?"

When Apple Butter and Roller tried to explain, all that came out were nervous stammers and incomplete sentences.

Skater sighed as she facehoofed in frustration. She then told her cousins, "I'll tell her, you guys." She said to Flurry, "Look, Flurry, it's not easy being the cousins of the crown princess of Marendelle. We're constantly being overshadowed by Snowy and LB. Ponies don't know us so much, so we decided to come here in hopes of helping you find your cutie mark. That way, we'd know what we're good for."

Roller added with a small chuckle, "Yeah, and do something worth getting off the island once in a while."

Flurry smiled in comfort, "But you guys are already special. You came all the way here just to help me. How's that for being overshadowed?"

Skyla scornfully thought, _You don't even know what it's like._


	6. Strained Relationships

While Flurry was outside with her Marendelle cousins and trying out different things to get her cutie mark, Skyla found Blaze and Nova in the library. She saw that the two teenaged ponies were at opposite ends of the oblong room looking through some books on his/her side.

Skyla shook her head, thinking the two of them would never put aside their differences on their own. Even if they didn't fall in love, they should at least be friends. Their parents were good friends, so why couldn't they? It was strange to Skyla how Aunt Sunset and Starlight Glimmer were friendly to each other, but their kids wouldn't even give each other a second glance.

Nova came across a book, opened its pages, and ended up frowning. "That's odd… I never heard of this spell before."

Skyla came up to her and asked, "What spell?"

"The Spell of Eternal Youth."

Skyla's eyes widened. She had heard of that somewhere before. Then, a very vague memory appeared in her head. She recalled her mother talking about the spell to her Aunt Sunset and how it was on Starlight and Sunburst. She also said that only true love's kiss could break it.

She told Nova what she knew and that caused Blaze to look up from his books with intrigue.

Nova gaped, "You mean my parents had the Spell of Eternal Youth on them?" She briefly looked into the book and gasped, "But that's a dark magic spell!"

"Seriously?!" Blaze came over in shock.

Nova magically lift the book, "It says so right here!"

Skyla was surprised, too. When her mother and Aunt Sunset were discussing about the spell, it didn't sound terrible at all.

"But Mom and Aunt Sunset weren't upset about your parents having the spell on them."

Nova motioned, "It says here that true love's kiss can break the spell. Maybe…they didn't have to worry because my parents were true loves, and when they shared their first kiss, the spell broke."

Skyla nodded, "That's most likely what happened."

Blaze inquired, "But the big question is how did the spell get on your parents?"

Nova suggested, "I think an evil unicorn of sorts cast it on them. My parents are powerful and knowledgeable on magic that could have been used on them as a revenge scheme."

Blaze scowled, "That's a pretty pathetic revenge scheme, if you ask me. Being immortal is hardly retribution."

Nova countered, "Not if it means seeing the ones you love pass on and you have no way of joining them."

"Okay, yeah, but the spell can be broken by true love's kiss. Since your parents were in love, it would have been pointless to cast it on them."

Nova stood quiet. She didn't want to admit it, but he had a good point.

Skyla pointed, "I guess we'll never for sure until you ask your parents, Nova."

"But…what if they don't want to tell me?"

Skyla shrugged, "Then I guess you'll never know."

Blaze spoke up, "Now, wait a minute. My mom and your mom know about the spell, right? So if they know, then other members of our family must know, too."

Just then, Asher's head leaned into the doorway and said, "Hey, guys. Supper's almost ready. Better get your hooves washed."

After Asher left, Nova asked, "Do you think we can bring up the Spell of Eternal Youth during dinner?"

Blaze answered, "Well, let's chance it."

Skyla advised, "But be subtle."

At the dining hall that night, the table held many a delicious meal courtesy of their chef. The royals and Nova ate with such delight that the pale heliotrope unicorn almost forgot bringing up the Spell of Eternal Youth.

Flurry said to her family and friend, "…but when Apple Butter saw that I was sad, she sat on a whoopee cushion to cheer me up." Her family giggled with her at that. She then continued, "So even though I haven't got my cutie mark yet, I know I'm lucky to have helpful and creative cousins like you." She gestured at the Marendelle cousins when she said that. "Marendelle's also lucky to have you guys, too. There's so much you can do to help them."

Skater smiled, "Thanks for boosting our self-confidence, Flurry. The Crystal Empire's sure lucky to have you as their princess."

It stung Skyla when she heard the words "their princess". She thought, _Am I not their princess as well?_

Blaze, attempting to bring up the subject of the Spell of Eternal Youth, said woodenly while forcing a smile, "Hey, Nova. Have you eaten – I mean, _read_ any good books today?"

Nova, picking up on his cue, nodded as she played along, "Oh, yes! In fact, I came across this one spell. It qualifies as dark magic, though."

Starling asked as she set her fork down, "Oh? What is it?"

Both Nova and Blaze said with hesitation, "The…Spell of Eternal Youth."

Silence then befell the dinner table as the royals had wide eyes and surprised expressions.

Apple Jewel asked uneasily, "Why are you interested in it?"

Seeing how nervous Blaze and Nova looked, Skyla answered for them, "I told them that Nova's parents were under the spell and that's pretty much it."

There was silence again until Discord said, "Wait. You mean…?" He then let out hearty laughs as he banged on the table. He then continued while recovering from his laughing fit, "You mean they never told you?"

Screwball hissed, "Dad, no! You'll be opening a can of worms."

Discord held an unopened can and said, "No. _This_ would be opening a can of worms."

He used his talon to open the can and flailing worms emerged from the container. Everypony groaned and gagged when they saw the slimy annelids.

The worms repeated in high-pitched voices, "Starlight cast the spell on herself! Starlight cast the spell on herself!"

Suddenly, Screwball knocked the can out of her father's claw.

Discord cried, "Ow!" He rubbed his claw as he said, "Well, that was a little uncalled for."

Nova, shocked by the revelation, said, "But…why? My mother wouldn't use dark magic like that!"

Discord explained, "She would if she didn't want to become an old sourpuss like her not-so-great-uncle Star Swirl the Bearded."

Starling said, "We should let Starlight and Aunt Sunset explain the rest."

This time, it was Blaze's turn to be surprised. "Mom? What does she have to do with this?"

Whirl groaned as he facehoofed, "Way to go, Star."

Discord had transferred the magic from the small hand mirror to the large mirror in what was once his and Fluttershy's apartment. When Sunset and Starlight's faces appeared, Skyla, Blaze, Nova Rose told the whole story.

Starlight facehoofed, "Oh, dear. I was afraid something like this would happen. We were going to tell you when the time was right, but since it's now…"

Blaze said, "Guys, you can't keep us sheltered forever. We need to know the truth."

Nova added, "And to be honest, I'd feel better hearing it from you two rather than anyone else."

Skyla glared at Discord, "Namely Uncle Discord."

Discord sheepishly grinned as he blushed.

Sunset took a deep breath and said, "Okay, here it is. When Celestia was pregnant with Twilight and me, she got very sick."

Blaze said agitatedly, "Mom, we've heard this story before!"

Starlight countered, "Yes, but do you know what else happened?"

After being silent for a few moments, Blaze groaned, "All right. Go on."

Sunset nodded before she continued, "The phoenix that Sombra took to the castle was Starlight's pet Sunburst."

Nova asked in surprise, "You named a phoenix after Daddy?"

Starlight answered with a small but dreamy smile, "Well, yes, I did." Her smile faded as she continued, "I was so upset when Sunburst was taken that I swore revenge on the royal family. When the twins turned one, I took Sunset from the palace and made her family forget she ever existed. I raised her as my own for many years before Sunset found out who she really was."

Blaze then shouted, "Are. You. Kidding me?! Grandpa takes a phoenix and you steal Mom away from her family?!"

Sunset asked, "Well, how would you feel if something you loved got stolen?"

Blaze answered in shame, "Not very good, I guess."

Starlight said calmly, "That was how I felt. I had so many heartbreaks in my life that kidnapping your mom seemed like the best solution for me, only it wasn't."

Nova was shocked from hearing the truth about her mother and tears welled in her eyes. She uttered, "I just…can't believe you'd do that!" When Nova started to cry, Flurry wrapped her left wing around her best friend to comfort her.

Starlight's heart broke from seeing her daughter in tears like that. She kept much of her past a secret for fear of hurting Nova. However, she knew that the truth was going to hurt anyway. There was nothing she could do now but hope that Nova would soon put this behind her just as Starlight had. But right now, the kid was going to have to get through the pain first.

Starlight said, "I know this is a lot for you guys right now. It's going to take some time to heal from this."

Blaze scornfully scoffed, "Me, especially."

Sunset softly said, "I know, kiddo. I know."

After Starlight and Sunset's images faded from the mirror, there was only silence until Flurry tried to lighten the mood, "Well, I can definitely say that this has been one mind-blowing experience."

Blaze grumbled as he began to walk out the apartment, "Yeah. Too mind-blowing for me."

In their guest room, Skyla was looking at herself in the mirror while Flurry was getting ready for bed.

Flurry Heart exhaled, "Whew! What a day, huh? First, our Marendelle cousins come over and then we find out that Starlight kidnapped Sunset and raised her like a daughter."

Skyla agreed as she fiddled with her mane, "You said it."

Flurry noticed that her sister was in front of the vanity mirror and said, "Skyla, that's the second time I've seen you in front of a mirror this week. The last time you looked at yourself in the mirror at times other than in the morning was during the Royal Summit."

Skyla nervously chuckled, "Oh, heh-heh. I…haven't really noticed." She cleared her throat and said, "So, um…It's certainly interesting how Starlight and Sunset have quite a past, don't you think? It makes sense now why Blaze and Nova are at each other's throats a lot."

"Yeah. If there was any bad blood between Aunt Sunny and Starlight in the past, it must've gotten passed down to their children. Shame, really. I thought Blaze and Nova would make a cute couple."

"Well, they still can be. It's just going to take a lot of time."

"I don't know. Blaze seemed really angry with Starlight and Nova was hurting a lot about her mom's past. If I know Blaze, he's not the type to forgive easily. The pony who did him wrong would have to re-earn his respect, even if it's not as much as before."

"Hmm…" Skyla said. "That would be true."

"It's going to take a miracle to get them to even make eye contact with each other during the Crystal Gala. Knowing Blaze, he won't want to look at Nova and her parents for even a millisecond."

"That's not true. He would still talk to Professor Sunburst. You know, Blaze shouldn't have to put the blame on Nova. None of this was her fault."

"Right. She just came across that book by chance and this happened."

"If anything, I told them about Nova's parents being under the Spell of Eternal Youth. I didn't know how much hurt it was going to cause."

"Well, it would've hurt anyway, no matter how old they were."

"You're right. They would've found out eventually."

"It's still not as easy, though."

"No. No, it's not. But the least we can do is be there for them. For our cousin and our friend."

"And Uncle Discord. Screwball was pretty mad at him."

Skyla gave a small chuckle, "I noticed."

"It must be the hormones. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so mad at him. I'm going to ask Discord to train me tomorrow. That'll take his mind off his daughter's grudge."

"Just make sure he doesn't open another can of worms, literally and metaphorically."

Flurry chuckled, "I know. The can of worms he did open during dinner made me lose my appetite."

"I think the same can go for everypony."

 ** _AN: CartoonNerd12 wrote most of the library section, namely starting with "Skyla shook her head…" and ending with "…must know, too."". Thanks, sis!_**

 ** _She also helped me write the end scene where Flurry and Skyla talk amongst themselves. I wanted to keep it as authentic to sisterhood as possible, so she and I exchanged words as if we were the sisters in this chapter._**


	7. An Old Legend

Thankfully, Skyla got a full night's rest this time and Flurry wasn't awoken in the middle of the night again. After breakfast, Flurry went out to the gardens to find Discord sitting on a tall mushroom. He was obviously in a foul mood after what happened the day before.

Flurry flew up to him and cautiously asked, "Uncle Discord?"

He dismissed her, "Not now, Flurry. I have to sulk."

"I know. I just want to make you feel better."

Discord scoffed, "How can you possibly make me feel better?"

"Well, maybe you can train me today."

His ears perked up when he heard that. He turned to her with a mischievous grin, "You know…I'm just dying to see how strong your magic's grown."

Flurry smirked, "I knew you'd go for that."

Soon after, everything was set in front of the castle; the target, the power meter, the whole shebang. Flurry Heart had seen something like this when her dad would train the royal guards.

She looked at the target and asked, "So you want me to hit the target with my magic?"

Discord answered, "Precisely."

Blaze said as he opened an umbrella, "Well, in that case, I'm definitely going to need this."

Flurry glared at him before returning her focus to the target. She took a deep breath and uttered, "Okay…Here we go."

She angled her horn towards the target and summoned a yellow aura. When she was about to fire –

 _CRASH!_

The crash of cymbals caught her off-guard and she yelped in surprise. At the same time, a powerful ray of magic shot from her horn and not only annihilated most of the target, but also burned a hole through the woods about 15 feet long. Flurry, Discord, and Blaze all gaped at the outcome.

Blaze remarked, "Whoa-oh. That is killer magic."

Flurry asked Discord in a semi-angry tone, "Discord, what did you do that for?!"

Discord gestured at himself innocently, "But I wasn't the one who burned a hole in the Everfree Forest. Why are you accusing me of it?"

Flurry groaned, "No! I mean, why did you scare me like that?"

"Well, fear tends to make a pony's magic very powerful, and since your magic is already powerful, I just wanted to see it at its most raw."

Blaze pointed to the thin ring that was what remained of the target, "That rawness almost obliterated the target entirely."

"My point exactly. I'll get a new one if you're so concerned. Be right backsies!"

No sooner did Discord teleport away than Screwball did emerge from the front doors just mere moments later.

"Hi. I just wanted to see what you guys were…" She trailed off as soon as she saw the damaged trees. "What the -?! What happened here?!"

Blaze explained, "Long story short, your dad was training Flurry and he decided to scare her, hence the burnt-out target and trees."

Screwball groaned, "That draconequus! He should know that we don't need more incidents with your magic!"

Flurry said, "He was just testing how powerful my magic was."

The Earth pony then said sarcastically, "Gee, I wonder what other tests my dad will put you through? Making you sneeze? Making you giggle? Ooh! He'll probably make you cry and bring down the entire castle with your super-powered wails!"

Blaze retorted, "Okay, now that's a low blow even for you."

Flurry calmed him, "It's probably her hormones. She's not acting like herself."

"Ooh! Maybe her husband is impersonating her."

That tore it for Screwball and she shouted at him in the Royal Canterlot Voice, **_"DO NOT SPEAK ILL OF THY HUSBAND!"_**

Unfortunately, the force of her shout drove Blaze over the edge of the ravine surrounding the castle.

Screwball gasped as Flurry cried, "Blaze!"

Without another thought, the alicorn flew down the ravine and used her magic to levitate Blaze before he could hit the ground.

Blaze sighed in relief, "Phew! Thanks for saving my hide, Flurry."

She smiled back, "No problem, Blaze. Now let's get back up there before Discord notices."

Just then, Blaze saw something at the bottom of the ravine. He pointed at it and said, "Wait! I see something! Take me down!"

Flurry, curious about what he saw, set him down on the ground and landed there herself.

Screwball leaned over the edge of the ravine and asked, "Are you guys okay?"

Flurry waved to her, "We're fine!"

Blaze added, "Although you nearly killed me with that super-sonic shout of yours!"

Screwball apologized, "Sorry about that! Aren't you guys going to come back up?"

Flurry answered, "We will! We just want to see something down here!"

"Well, I better come down in case it's something dangerous."

Screwball soon floated downwards to join the kids as they neared a closed entrance that blended in with the rock wall.

Blaze pointed to the symbols on the entrance and said, "There! That's what I saw."

The three of them looked closely at the strange markings below the symbol of a six-pointed star with a hole in the middle.

Screwball remarked, "That's strange…That star looks a lot like Aunt Twilight's cutie mark."

Flurry agreed, "Yeah."

Blaze squinted at the markings and his eyes suddenly widened when he realized something. "Guys, I think I can read this!"

Flurry asked, "You can?"

"Yeah! My parents taught me to read and translate the language of the Rainbow-Eyed Ponies when Daring Do and Quibble Pants would bring back copies of their writings. This must be a version of that language."

Screwball asked, "Can you translate it?"

"Well, the characters look somewhat different than what I'm used to, but yeah. They look just about the same, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me." He slowly looked at each character and read aloud, "'Those…with…pure heart…open…door.'" He turned to his cousins and explained, "It basically says that those with pure hearts can open the door."

Screwball gestured to the hole in the star, "And I'm guessing you have to put your horn in there."

Blaze cracked his neck side-to-side before he said, "Well, here goes nothing." He inserted his horn into the hole and waited for something to happen.

When nothing did, Flurry suggested, "Maybe you should use your magic."

"Okay."

He activated his horn and waited a few seconds for the entrance to open. However, nothing happened.

Blaze sighed, "Nothing. Maybe you should do it, Flurry."

Flurry inhaled before saying, "I really hope I don't blow up the entrance."

"That would be so cool if you did."

Screwball shot him a glare, which practically told him to quiet down before he scared Flurry Heart more.

Flurry took a deep breath to calm down, inserted her horn in the hole, and emitted her yellow aura into it. When she drew back, the lines from her magic shot to the tips of the points of the star. The three ponies were surprised when the entrance began sliding upwards to reveal a wondrous cave. Circular stones lined the bottom of the cave walls and several crystals dotted the ceiling above. However, what attracted the attention of the ponies the most was the crystalline tree situated in the deepest part of the cave. It was a sight to behold, with its radiant glory providing a form of light in the cavern.

The trio stepped forth to further absorb its beauty. At a closer glance, Flurry saw something on the trunk.

She pointed to it and said, "Look! There's Grandma's cutie mark!"

Blaze saw something above the crescent moon and remarked, "And there's _my_ grandma's!"

Screwball pointed to the shape above the sun and said, "And look up there! That's…"

All three finished in amazement, "…Aunt Twilight's cute mark."

Blaze asked, "Is this, like, the second time we've seen her cutie mark today?"

Screwball pondered, "Yeah. I wonder what's up with that."

Flurry gestured to the star and said, "Or that pretty gem in the middle."

The trio turned their gaze towards a shimmering circular gem in the center of the star. Flurry didn't know how, but she felt as if the gem was calling out to her, drawing her to it. Suddenly, a white flash of light appeared behind them. In surprise, they turned to see Discord standing at the entrance, also surprised.

The draconequus broke the stunned silence by remarking, "We spent decades living here and we didn't notice this?!"

Discord tapped the magic mirror as he muttered, "Come on, K.K. Pick up. Lulu?"

Mothball asked, "Are you sure you looked through every single book for anything about a crystal tree?"

Blaze nodded, "We're positive. There's nothing in those books about the tree at all."

Nova added, "But we did get information about the gem. It's said that Celestia and Luna once wielded a gem that shot out rainbows."

Flurry nodded, "And I could feel very powerful magic from the gem I saw on the tree. I'm certain it's the one Grandma and Aunt Celestia used."

When the image in the mirror began to ripple, Discord remarked, "Well, finally they answer!"

Luna's annoyed face came on and she said, "You caught me just before dream duty. Consider yourself lucky."

Flurry waved to her grandmother, "Hi, Grandma!"

Luna saw this and her frown quickly lifted into a smile. "Hello, dear Flurry Heart, fair Skyla! How is your visit in the Everfree Kingdom?"

Skyla answered, "Splendid, Grandma. Absolutely splendid."

Flurry said, "It's great seeing the cousins again. I like spending time with them."

Luna smiled, "How wonderful to hear that."

Discord waved his claw nonchalantly and said, "Yes, yes, yes. Now can we get on with the question?"

"'Question'?"

Flurry explained, "Yeah. We found a crystal tree at the bottom of the ravine this afternoon. It had a crystal gem on it that maybe you and Aunt Celestia wielded a long time ago."

Luna gaped as soon as she heard the words "crystal tree". After Flurry finished explaining, her grandmother said, "Flurry Heart, what you've just described are the Tree of Harmony and the Gem of Harmony."

Whirl asked in confusion, "The What and What?"

"The Tree of Harmony is a very powerful source of magic for Equestria. It is so powerful that it is kept hidden from the rest of the world."

Blaze said, "So that's why the markings read, 'Those with pure hearts can open the door'."

"I'm surprised that you can be adept at reading the ancient language of the Rainbow-Eyed Ponies. They are a mysterious tribe, but they have history with the Tree of Harmony. When my sister and I found the entrance to the cave, we were confused by the markings. We traveled as far as the jungles of Equestria before we found the Rainbow-Eyes. They taught us their language and ethics. Before we found the tribe, we did not know of kindness or friendship."

The family gaped at Luna before Skater asked, "Hold up. Are you saying that you and Grandma Tia weren't all that friendly before you met the Rainbow-Eyes?"

Roller Blade turned to his twin sister and remarked, "Mind. Blown."

Luna nodded, "Yes. Our childhood did nothing but mold us into proud and regal ponies. There was also the hatred for the draconequui. We weren't taught to be kind to them or make friends with them. Rather, we were taught to despise them because of their…strangeness."

Discord humphed as he crossed his arms, "Hmph! You ponies are always scared of creatures not like you. My kind hated the alicorns for being too haughty and too good for us."

Starling said, "Guys, we're getting off-topic. Aunt Luna, what about the Tree of Harmony?"

Luna said, "Oh, yes! I apologize for drifting away from the subject. You see, after Celestia and I returned from meeting the Rainbow-Eyes, my sister managed to open the door because I thought of myself as less than worthy. When the entrance opened for us, we found the most beautiful tree in all of Equestria. However, it was not the way you found it. When my sister and I saw the Tree of Harmony, the branches held six different gems and the seventh one was stored in the star.

"In curiosity, we asked Star Swirl the Bearded what the tree and the gems were. Since Gaea Everfree had forbidden him from entering the forest again, we had to travel to Canterlot to meet him. We brought drawings of what we saw, and one glance at them made Star Swirl's eyes bulge bigger than dinner plates. He knew exactly what we found and brought out a book to show us. He explained that the Tree of Harmony and the Elements it held were rumored to be a legend, but my sister and I proved that the legend was true.

"Star Swirl requested for the Elements of Harmony to be brought to him, but Celestia and I were worried that taking them from the tree might cause serious damage. He assured us that the tree would still be powerful without the Elements for some time, so we did as he asked. Before we could bring the Elements to him, we received a letter that he was battling a deadly foe at Ghastly Gorge. We thought he needed help, so we brought the Elements with us. We saw that this was no ordinary foe, but one who had terrified ponies for a long time and had been too elusive to capture. We saw this as a chance to use the Elements to finally put an end to the terror once and for all, but Star Swirl would not have it. He did not want to risk our safety, so he took the Elements and used them to defeat the foe all by himself.

"This, however, came at a cost. The villain was defeated, but the Elements were shattered in the process, all because Star Swirl did not know friendship. It was the very thing that made the Elements powerful to begin with. Celestia and I could not repair the Elements as they were before, so we used our magic to meld them into one gem: the Gem of Harmony. We returned the gem to the Tree of Harmony before the magic could start dying off and hid the cave to prevent anyone from stealing the gem. Star Swirl was ashamed of breaking the Elements and so did not contact us until the Royal Summit where Celestia and Sombra met."

Skyla said, "But I don't understand. We found a section of you and Great-Aunt Celestia using the Gem of Harmony. Have you not used it since you created it?"

"Only when Equestria was being invaded by the changelings. We were victorious in many battles before it was stolen. After we recovered it, we decided to keep it hidden again and that the last battle with the Changeling Queen should be fought without the Gem of Harmony."

Whirl remarked, "Wow…That makes you guys all the more heroic."

Screwball agreed, "Yeah. To win a battle without the Gem of Harmony is really impressive."

Starling added, "It even shows true strength and valor."

Luna nodded, "Yes, it was a hard battle for Celestia and Sombra, but our side was successful. I just hope that the Gem of Harmony will not be wielded again unless it's necessary. Even then, I pray that it will not be shattered like the Elements it's comprised of."

Flurry asked in concern, "What would happen if it does?"

"The Tree of Harmony will slowly die and all of the magic in Equestria will perish with it."

 ** _AN: CN12 (to K5): I thought I said the Elements of Harmony don't exist in this world!_**

 ** _K5: They don't…anymore. They now exist as one gem, so that's a loophole._**

 ** _CN12: (glares at sister) You little bugger. You win on a technicality._**

 ** _K5: And that technicality's what made you approve of the idea in the first place._** ** _J_**

 ** _CN12: *sighs* Yes, that's true. As much as it was my intent to make sure the Elements of Harmony didn't exist in this world…_**

 ** _K5: The story called for it, albeit in a new form._**

 ** _CN12: Yes, I'm glad you decided to make the Elements just one piece, so that made it very different from the actual Elements._**

 ** _K5: Even though the gem is made up of the Elements themselves._**


	8. Who

In the two days after contacting Luna, Screwball forgave her dad for spilling the beans about the Spell of Eternal Youth. She attributed the grudge to her hormones and vowed to never let it happen again. Skyla and Flurry Heart also spent some sister time together like Discord prescribed. As the two sisters built their bond, Skyla became less worrisome about her place among ponies and began loving her sister again, if only a little. However, the same could not be said about Blaze and Nova Rose. They were still on edge about their moms' history and every interaction they had was just as awkward as the last. This made Blaze conflicted between yearning for Nova and outright despising her.

What could he say to her? She was the daughter of his mother's captor, but at the same time, she was his lifelong…acquaintance, to say the least. They weren't very close friends, but they knew each other ever since they were little. Blaze was a little jealous that she had so much potential with her magic even though she hadn't been trained the way he had. Still, it made him admire her a little. Given the recent development, however, his semi-crush on her got whittled down to the size of a small flame. He wondered if that flame would burn out completely or grow again; he wasn't sure.

Could Blaze really forgive Starlight for foalnapping his mother all those years ago? His mom forgave her former "guardian", so why couldn't he? Whenever he tried to muster the forgiveness for Starlight, the revelation of his mom's past with her stung him. He didn't think he could face Nova or her mother at the Crystal Gala, but he could be willing to talk to Professor Sunburst. After all, he could just pass it off as guy talk.

In her guest bedroom, Nova tried reading the books she got from the castle library, but she found that she could hardly concentrate on the words. All she kept thinking about was Blaze's attitude towards her. She knew he always spited her, but that one generous act at the train station surprised her a little. How could a colt who always treated her so horribly be a generous prince? She didn't understand him at all.

But for all the kindness he had shown her in that one moment, her chances of befriending him virtually disappeared when he bluntly stated that he didn't like her. Now that she learned about her mother's past with Princess Sunset, she assumed that the likelihood of Blaze being nice to her again were very much nil. She knew that she would never get that kind of attitude from him again. At least, not with her.

And then there was her mother. Nova looked up to her, adulated her, and thought highly of her. The pedestal on which she put her mom suddenly fell apart the moment she heard that Starlight once kidnapped a princess. Of course, this wasn't just any princess, but Blaze's mother! Nova didn't need any more of Blaze's spite towards her, but it seemed like it had doubled now. She didn't know if he would forgive her mom, let alone Nova for being her daughter, but she most certainly would forgive Starlight.

She admired Sunset for not holding a grudge against her mom, even for everything Starlight did to her. Her mother was definitely a different pony than she might've been in the past, so Nova couldn't hold anything against her. Besides, Starlight was truly sorry for her actions, so this gave her daughter no reason to hate her. She was ready to forgive her mother, but she wished Blaze could do the same thing.

Three days after Luna told them everything about the Tree and Gem of Harmony, Starling, Flurry Heart, Skyla, Blaze, Apple Butter, and Dignity and his family waited patiently at the train station.

Flurry said to Blaze, "You know, I'm surprised you were willing to come to the train station with us."

Blaze shrugged, "Well, you know me. I'm game for meeting up with my relatives."

Flurry thought to herself, _Or to get away from Nova._

Mauve pointed to something emerging from the horizon and cried, "Look! I think I see the train now!"

The ponies held their breaths in anticipation as the train slowed into the station and came to a complete stop. When the doors opened, the first ponies to step out were…

"Gemstone! Seam!" Dignity exclaimed with ecstasy.

Gem giggled as her brother embraced her and her husband, "Dignity! It's so good to see you!"

Blaze asked with a smirk, "Come on. Did you miss us?"

Just then, another pony stepped off the train and answered, "Well, I can definitely say that I missed a certain pony very much."

"Zealot!" Apple Butter cried as she threw her arms around her coltfriend. "How was Manehattan?"

"Overwhelming, but fun. When I offered to help out after Gem got morning sickness, I didn't know what to expect. The crowds made me nervous, but Manehattan overall is absolutely marvelous."

"See? Told you you'd like it." She kissed him on the lips.

Gem held her niece Opulence as she cooed, "Oh, you little darling! You're getting to be so big!"

Blaze pointed to Gem's slight-bulging belly and remarked, "And so are you."

Skyla sternly bumped his side for his comment.

However, Gem didn't seem to mind and said, "I see you've noticed. Yes, it appears I'm showing earlier than expected."

Dignity suggested, "Either you're having twins or a really robust baby."

Flurry shrugged, "It could be twins. Aunt Scootaloo had twins and Great-Aunt Celestia had twins."

Blaze agreed, "It's true. I've read that genes for a twin pregnancy can run in the family, though not always in the immediate family."

Zealot smiled, "In the event you do have twins, let me offer you my most sincere congratulations, Your Highness."

Apple Butter giggled, "Zealot, don't call your friends 'Your Highness'."

Zealot chuckled in light-heartedness, "Sorry. Habits are hard to break even after a year or two."

Gemstone, Seam, and Zealot were greeted with a warm welcome, even surprise at Gem's early baby bump. Some, like Dignity, suggested that she was carrying twins. The couple said that they'd consider such a possibility and prepare for two foals just in case.

Before dinner that evening, Flurry asked Gem, "Star told us you guys were coming, but she didn't tell us why."

Gem chuckled, "That's a surprise for the dinner table."

Zealot said, "Well, I don't know who's going first: you or Discord."

Both of the girls faced Zealot and asked, "Discord?"

He nodded, "Yes. While you were busy unpacking the luggage, Discord told the rest of us that he had something special planned for tonight."

Flurry said, "Hmm. I wonder what it could be."

When everyone was seated at the dinner table, Flurry looked all around for Discord, who was absent from the room. If Zealot was right, then Discord could have something up his sleeve.

Whirl asked, "Hey, guys? Where's Discord?"

Just after he asked, the room went dim and spotlights moved across two curtains now covering the doorway.

As an invisible drum roll began, a voice projected, "Announcing the princess of fashion, the diva of style, the queen of couture! All the way from Canterlot, heeeerrre's Rarity!"

When her name was mentioned, Rarity stepped forth from behind the curtains, still as radiant as she was in her youth.

Gem gasped, "Mother?!"

Rarity returned her gaped expression and exclaimed, "Gem?!"

Discord popped his head out from the curtains and cried, "Gem?!"

Dignity also cried, "Discord?!"

Star, also surprised like everyone else, cried, "You?!"

Discord waved his hands and said, "Hold up! Hold up!" He snapped his fingers and light returned to the room. He walked out from the curtains and asked, "What's Gemstone doing here?"

Dignity said, "I could ask why you brought Mother to the Everfree Kingdom."

Rarity explained, "I agreed to design your outfits for the Crystal Gala."

Gemstone exclaimed, "But that's why I'm here!"

"But, darling, in your condition, you shouldn't take on work like this!"

"Everyone keeps telling me that ever since I got pregnant, but it's not going to keep me from doing what I love!"

Seam started to point out, "Actually –"

Screwball touched his hoof and whispered, "Stay out of this."

Skyla suggested to Rarity and Gem, "Well, since you're both already here, how about we make a compromise? Aunt Rarity can do half of the outfits and Gem can do the other. That way, Gem does less work while doing what she loves."

Rarity said, "You know, that might absolutely work!"

Gem smiled, "It's perfect! Mom won't worry about me overexerting myself and I can still enjoy making outfits for my family!"

Flurry praised her sister, "Great compromise, Skyla! You're already a queen before you even become one!"

Skyla smiled with pride and thought to herself, _Yeah…I guess I am_.

After Gem made a gorgeous dress for Flurry Heart, the alicorn returned to her guest room while Skyla was being fitted for her gown. She was getting ready for bed until she heard a knock on the door.

She said, "Come in." When it opened, she turned to see – "Oh, Zealot! I thought you were my sister!"

Zealot apologized, "Forgive me, Flurry Heart. I didn't know you were preparing for bed."

"I guess my sister was right about one thing: always state your business before you enter."

"Oh, in that case, I request an audience with the princess."

She giggled, "Granted."

After he entered the room, he said, "I came by to ask you how life was in the Crystal Empire."

"Oh, same old, same old. Well, except for my magic going haywire. _That_ was pretty new."

"What exactly happened, or would you rather not talk about it?"

"I'd rather not, thank you, but I'll give you the gist of it. When I was a baby, my magic was uncontrollable, so my parents put a spell on me to control it. Days ago, the spell wore off and I caused a lot of damage. Luckily, nopony was hurt, but the Gala decorations had to be redone, so Skyla, Blaze, Nova, and I were sent to the Everfree Kingdom to see our cousins before the Crystal Gala."

"Have you had fun here since?"

"Well, it's a mix of shocking and exciting."

"How so?"

"We learned that Nova's mom kidnapped Aunt Sunset when she was one year old." Zealot gaped at that. Flurry continued, "Then we found the Tree of Harmony and the Gem of Harmony down in the ravine. Grandma told us about the Elements of Harmony and how they were blended into the Gem of Harmony. And it has to stay in the tree, too, or the magic's going to die with it."

"Oh, wow. Sounds like you went through a lot since you got here."

"You have no idea."

"I'm surprised you haven't got your cutie mark yet."

"Blaze thought I would get it when I had my magic burst, but I don't want to cause accidents for the rest of my life. You were lucky to even get yours when you first came to Marendelle."

"Yes. Being a slave doesn't allow you certain freedoms, even finding a cutie mark. Many slaves go their whole lives being blank flanks."

"That's terrible."

"I know, but you're able to try different things to find your destiny."

"I already know my destiny: being a princess. As romantic as that sounds, it's really boring. I'd rather be somepony else, like an adventurer or…something."

"Oh? And what do you wish to be?"

Flurry began to sing, _"I guess I'd be a hero – with sword and armor clashing…looking semi-dashing…a shield within my grip…Or else I'd be a pirate…and live a life of derring…while smelling like a herring…upon a pirate ship…_

 _"_ _I'd sail away…I'd see the world…I'd reach the farthest reaches…I'd feel the wind…I'd taste the salt and sea…and maybe storm some beaches…That's who I'd be…That's who I'd be…"_

She magically grabbed a quill and a piece of paper as she sang, _"Or I could be a poet…and write a different story – one that tells of glory…and wipes away the lies…"_ She went to the window and sang, _"Into the skies I'd throw it…The stars would do the telling…The moon would help with spelling…And night would dot the I's…_

 _"_ _I'd write a verse…recite a joke…with wit and perfect timing…I'd share my heart…Confess the things I yearn…and do it all while rhyming…"_ She then put down the paper and quill as she sang sadly, _"But we all learn…But we all learn…_

 _"_ _A royal always hides…A royal's fate is known…A royal always stays behind walls and all alone…So yes, I'd be a hero…and if my wish were granted…life would be enchanted…or so the stories say…Of course I'd be a hero…and I would scale a mountain…to save a hot stallion…and carry him away…_

 _"_ _But standing guard would be a beast…I'd somehow overwhelm it…I'd get the guy…I'd take a breath…and I'd remove my helmet…"_ She faced the mirror and imagined a colt standing in front of her. _"We'd stand and stare…We'd speak of love…We'd feel the stars ascending…_

 _"_ _We'd share a kiss…I'd find my destiny…I'd have a hero's ending…A perfect happy ending…That's how it would be…A big bright beautiful world…but not for me…"_

In his guest room, Blaze sang sadly, _"A royal always hides…A royal's fate is known…"_

In their separate rooms, Blaze and Flurry sang, _"A royal always stays behind walls …"_

Zealot sang, _"You're all alone…"_

 _"_ _All alone…"_

Blaze sang, _"And I'd wipe…"_

Flurry sang, _"So yes, I'd be a hero…"_

 _"_ _All her tears…"_

 _"_ _And if my wish were granted…"_

 _"'_ _Cause there are rules…"_

Zealot sang, _"All alone…"_

Blaze sang, _"And there are strictures…"_

Flurry sang, _"Life would be enchanted…or so the stories say…"_

Zealot vocalized, _"You need a pal…"_

Blaze sang, _"I believe…"_

Flurry sang, _"Of course I'd be a hero…"_

Zealot sang, _"My calendar's open…"_

Blaze sang, _"The storybooks I read…"_

Flurry sang, _"And I would scale a mountain…"_

 _"_ _By the candlelight…"_

 _"_ _To save a hot stallion…"_

Zealot sang, _"You need me…"_

 _"_ _And carry him away…"_

All three finally sang, _"A perfect happy ending…That's how it should be…"_

 ** _AN: The song featured in this chapter is "Who I'd Be" from_** **Shrek: The Musical** ** _._**

 ** _For Zealot's story, I suggest reading these oneshots from_** **The Royal Canterlot Family** ** _: "Under New Management" and "Deliver Us". Although the second one introduces Zealot, the first one sets the whole thing in motion._**


	9. To the Gala

Finally, the day of the Crystal Gala had arrived. The royals and guests at the Everfree Castle had to get up early in the morning to catch the train heading to the Crystal Empire. On the way, they had to pick up eight of the other aunts and uncles. Since Twilight, her husband, and her Marendelle sisters and brothers-in-law were all tackling an international issue, they could not come to the Crystal Gala. However, the family members on the train were just as happy to see the four other daughters of Celestia and the guys with them. After the train chugged out of the Canterlot train station and started again on its journey, the royals talked excitedly about the Crystal Gala.

Flurry squealed, "This will be my first time attending the Crystal Gala! I've had to go to bed before, but this time, I get to stay up! EEE!"

Gemstone said, "Darling, I promise you will absolutely shine in your gown! The crowds will eat it up!"

Flurry chuckled, "Gem, it's just a simple dress, nothing extravagant."

"Yes, but with you wearing it, you'll be the belle of the ball!"

Skyla felt a twinge of jealousy at that. She wanted to say that she could be just as important as Flurry Heart, but she didn't want to seem petty. She remained quiet as the conversation continued.

Zealot was intrigued yet intimidated by the prospect of going to the Crystal Gala. Thanks to his ties with Marendelle's royal family, he had attended the island's soirees and functions. However, none of them could compare to the vastness and grandeur of the Crystal Gala, let alone the Crystal Empire where the ball would take place.

He said, "So…I take it most of you have been to the gala. Can you tell me what it's like?"

Apple Butter wrapped her hoof around her coltfriend and said, "Oh, Zealot. If you're nervous, don't be! The Crystal Gala is very fun, and I promise you'll have the best night ever!" She began to sing, **_"_** _At the Gala…"_

The other royals sang, _"At the Gala…"_

Nova Rose sang, **_"_** _At the Gala…In the ballroom…You're going to see them all…All the elite…You'll befriend them at the Gala…"_

 ** _"_** _At the Gala…"_

 ** _"_** _All the nobles…and the captains…They will love you big and small…You'll become good friends forever…when you're at the Gala!"_

 _"_ _All our dreams will come true…when we're at the Gala…At the Gala…"_

Skater sang, _"At the Gala…"_

 _"_ _It's amazing…"_

 _"_ _You will taste them…"_

 _"_ _Better hurry…"_

 _"_ _All of those fantastic treats…"_

 _"_ _Yummy yummy…"_

 _"_ _Hungry ponies…"_

 _"_ _They'll be snacking…"_

 _"_ _They will buy them…"_

 _"_ _Bring your money…"_

 _"_ _Caramel apples, frosted sweets…"_

 _"_ _Gimme some…"_

 _"_ _And you'll find them very tasty…spicy, sweet, or zesty!"_

 _"_ _All our dreams and our hopes from now until hereafter…All that we've been wishing for will happen at the Gala…At the Gala…"_

Flurry Heart sang, _"At the Gala…All the royals…When they meet you, my buddy…they will see you're just as regal at the Gala…"_

 _"_ _At the Gala…"_

 _"_ _Because you are…a Prince Charming…And how gallant you will be…You'll treat mares like perfect ladies…when you're at the Gala!"_

 _"_ _This is what we've waited for to have the best night ever…Each of us will live our dreams…tonight at the Gala…At the Gala…"_

Roller Blade sang, **_"_** _It's thrillin'…They'll be waitin'…to meet such a great pony…Show them all of your daring tricks…spinning 'round and having kicks…Entertain crowds of thousands…They'll shower you with diamonds…The nobles will respect you when you're at the Gala!"_

 _"_ _All we've longed for…all we've dreamed…our happy ever after…finally will all come true…when we're at the grand Gala…At the Gala…"_

Blaze sang, _"When you're at the Crystal Gala…you'll see it's the best party…But the one thing it was missing was you, Zealot, effendi…for you are the best at parties, all the ponies will agree…Ponies playing…Ponies dancing…with you at the grand Gala!"_

 ** _"_** _Happiness and laughter at the Gala…At the Gala…"_

Apple Butter sang, **_"_** _At the Gala…"_

 _"_ _At the Gala…"_

 _"_ _With your good friends…"_

 _"_ _With your good friends…"_

 _"_ _Is where you're going to be…"_

 _"_ _He will be…"_

 _"_ _We will talk all about tonight and what we'll hear and see…"_

 _"_ _He will see…"_

 _"_ _It is going to be so special…as we'll make good memories…"_

 _"_ _This will be the best night ever!"_ When the spire of the Crystal Palace came into view, the royals sang, _"_ _Into the Gala we must go…We're ready now, we're all aglow…Into the Gala, let's go in and have the best night ever…Into the Gala, now's the time...We're ready and we look divine!"_

When the train stopped at the train station, Nova sang with the royals as she stepped onto the platform, _"Into the Gala…"_

She sang by herself, _"Meet new friends…"_

Skater sang with the royals as she followed suit, **_"_** _Into the Gala…"_

The Pegasus sang by herself, _"_ _Taste some pastries…"_

The royals sang with Flurry as she stepped off the train, _"Into the Gala…"_

Flurry sang alone, _"Be a prince…"_

Roller Blade sang with the royals as he followed Flurry, _"Prove you're great…"_

Roller sang, _"As an emperor is…"_

Nova Rose sang, _"_ _To meet!"_

Skater sang, _"_ _To taste!"_

Flurry sang, _"_ _To be!"_

Roller sang, _"To prove!"_

Blaze sang, _"To whoop!"_

Apple Butter sang, _"To make!"_

When all of the royals were on the platform, they sang, _"Into the Gala…Into the Gala…And we'll have the best night ever! At the Gala!"_

Discord shouted as he jumped in the air and prepared to dash off, "First one to the castle wins!"

When he zipped off, Pinkie and Cheese cried, "Hey! No fair!" They then whizzed after him.

Flurry asked the twins, "Wanna race?"

Roller and Skater grinned, "You bet!"

But when they got ready to fly, Flurry rocketed away at almost the speed of light and left a sonic boom that drove the other ponies back. The princess screamed as she involuntarily flew through the Crystal Empire at breakneck speed. When she passed Discord and the party couple, they stopped on a dime and had shocked expressions on their faces.

Cheese gaped, "Was that…?"

Pinkie finished, "…Flurry?"

Discord muttered, "Oh, no."

Even though she was flying at super speed, Flurry could see that she was dashing towards the Crystal Heart! She screamed, "HEEELLLP!"

Flurry was about to crash into the Crystal Heart when suddenly, a blue aura enveloped her and stopped her from impacting the relic just a few inches from her. She turned to see her grandmother walking down one of the stairs connecting the dais and the palace doors. When Discord and the party couple rushed up to them, Luna faced them with a displeased expression.

The nighttime alicorn said to Discord, "I take it you haven't taught my granddaughter how to control her magic yet."

Discord tittered nervously, "Time got away from me?"

Flurry said, "That was a really close call, Grandma. I'm glad you stopped me before I broke the Crystal Heart…" She looked down as she added sadly, "…again."

Luna firmly said as she combed Flurry's mane, "Discord should have taken more responsibility in training you. I shall take it upon myself to oversee the refinement of your magic until both of you are ready to take the training to the next level."

"Both of us?"

She nodded, "Yes. Until you feel confident in being trained by Discord…" She then smirked, "…and when he's trained to be a good teacher."

Both of them chuckled at that.

Flurry explained, "Well, he did train me, more or less. It's just a matter of controlling my magic completely."

Luna nodded, "I know, and that is something that takes time."

"So what do I do till then?"

Her grandmother smiled as she started to arrange Flurry's mane into a bouffant bun, "Perhaps you can crusade for your cutie mark like your aunts did."

"I'm just worried it'll be something bad or not princess-like. I'm supposed to be a princess, but what if it's not something I want to do for the rest of my life?"

"Ah. You feel like you're cooped up behind palace walls, don't you?"

"Yes! Exactly! I just want to get out there and…I don't know, see the world, I guess."

Luna chuckled, "Don't worry, Flurry Heart. I know just how you feel. Where Celestia and I lived before the blizzard struck, there were wide open spaces and nature decorated the very fortress we resided in. Despite that, though, we weren't allowed to roam beyond our home. The only ones who did leave at one point were two draconequui children, but only one returned. Our parents used the incident to teach us to never travel far from home." She then chuckled, "Celie and I ended up having cabin fever for hundreds of years, so we've had it far worse than you."

"I'll say."

After Luna tightened her bun up, she said, "I must go and raise the moon. The Gala is about to begin. You can put the gems in your mane in the meantime."

"Okay, Grandma."

When Luna left the room, Flurry intricately put small gems in her mane to make it sparkle like her mother's did whenever she wore the traditional ceremonial headdress. After she put the last gemstone in her styled mane and her tiara on her head, she went to the window to see the sun setting to make way for her grandmother's moon.

After the moon rose, Flurry said, "Gala time has officially begun!"

She flew out of her room to see the castle elegantly decorated for the Gala. She sang as she soared around the palace, _"The window is lit up! So's that door! I didn't know they did that anymore! Do we need all 8,000 salad plates?_

 _"_ _For years, I've roamed these crystal halls…Light up the ballroom for this ball! I hope this was totally worth the wait! I will actually stay up late…It'll be totally strange…But wow! Am I so ready for this change!_

 _"'_ _Cause for the first time in forever…there'll be music, there'll be light! For the first time in forever…I'll be dancing through the night…Don't know if I'm elated or gassy…but I'm somewhere in that zone! 'Cause for the first time in forever…I won't be alone…"_

Flurry talked to herself in wonder, "I can't wait to meet everyone!" She then gasped, "What if I meet _the one_?"

She sang, _"Tonight, imagine me, gown and all…fetchingly draped against the wall…The picture of sophisticated grace…I suddenly see him standing there…a beautiful stranger, tall and fair…I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face! But then, we laugh and talk all evening…which is totally bizarre…Nothing like the craziness so far!_

 _"_ _For the first time in forever…there'll be magic, there'll be fun! For the first time in forever, I could be noticed by someone…And I know it is totally crazy…to dream I'd find romance…But for the first time in forever…at least I've got a chance…"_

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Skyla peered out the window and saw the guests coming down the main crystalline street to the castle. She had to make a good impression. She had to prove that she could be a worthy queen someday.

She inhaled and then sang, _"Don't let them see…they get to you…Be a princess who has a heart that's true…Conceal…Don't feel…Put on a show…Make one wrong move and it will be a blow…But it's only for tonight…"_

Flurry sang in the castle foyer, _"It's only for tonight…"_

 _"_ _I can't wait anymore…"_

 _"_ _I can't wait anymore…"_

Shining Armor sang to his captain, _"Tell the guards to open up…"_ He stopped and looked at Cadance to make sure it was all right to start the ball.

When she nodded, the royal couple sang together, _"The doors!"_

The sisters sang in their separate places, _"The doors!"_

When the guards opened the doors, Flurry ecstatically flew out and surveyed the crowd as she went. She sang, _"For the first time in forever…"_

Skyla sang as she walked down the halls of the palace, _"Don't let them see they get to you…"_

 _"_ _I'm getting what I'm dreaming of!"_

 _"_ _Be a princess who has a heart that's true…"_

 _"_ _A chance to change my wild world!"_

 _"_ _Conceal…"_

 _"_ _A chance to find true love!"_

 _"_ _Conceal, don't feel…Don't let her know…"_

Flurry Heart flew up towards the sky as she finished, _"I've yet to get a cutie mark…so I will try as I may! 'Cause for the first time in forever…for the first time in forever…nothing's in my wa-a-a-a-ay!"_

Suddenly, she bumped into something and began to fall down. Luckily, a very light turquoise aura caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Oh, are you all right?" a familiar voice asked in concern.

Flurry looked up and saw that her flying rescuer was none other than her good friend, King Thorax! The first time she had met him was less than pleasant. He was like all of the other changelings – black, creepy, and insect-like. But though his appearance was almost exactly a copy of the other changelings, his personality greatly differed from theirs. Whereas the other changelings were as malicious as their queen, Thorax was kind and wouldn't dream of hurting others.

When Screwball was kidnapped by Chrysalis and her army, Mothball and Thorax set out to save her. After Thorax shared the love he had within him, he transformed into a tall and mighty changeling of many colors. The other changelings followed suit and Chrysalis, whose very soul was still as black as pitch, was overthrown. After Thorax was made king, the royals made plans for a treaty between pony-changeling relations. When the Changeling King came to the Crystal Empire, Skyla was allowed to attend the meeting, but Flurry Heart had to peek from behind the door. Her heart jumped when she saw Thorax all radiant and colorful. She couldn't help but admire his new form and thought it suited his gentle and warm personality.

Flurry said as they landed on the ground, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for catching me," she fiddled with a curly strand of mane on the side of her head and blushed, "even though I bumped into you like that. Sorry about that, by the way. I was just…so excited about the Gala."

Thorax lifted his hoof, "No need to apologize. We all get like that." He then bowed, "I'll see you inside, then."

Flurry tried to stifle her excited giggles as he walked away.

 ** _AN: Before you worry: no, Thorax is not going to be like Hans! It was just a moment I borrowed from the film. You can read his three-part story in_** **The Royal Canterlot Family** ** _. Those three chapters are all titled "Thorax", so it should be easy for you to find them._**

 ** _The songs in this chapter are "For the First Time in Forever" from_** **Frozen** ** _and "At the Gala"._**

 ** _I also borrowed a certain line from_** **Zootopia** ** _that I sneaked in somewhere. That should make my sister happy. ;)_**


	10. What a Night!

The Crystal Gala was in full swing within an hour. The lights and crystals shimmered and projected sparkling shards of rainbow light all over the ballroom. Guests were still coming, so Discord had to widen the ballroom so it'd be bigger on the inside. The royal family of the Crystal Empire stood near the entrance and greeted each guest. Flurry was fidgeting from having to wait for the long line of guests to die down.

Skyla noticed this and whispered to her, "Be patient."

Flurry whispered to her elder sister, "Well, it's kind of hard to be when –"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw a familiar face in the line. Her heart leapt as King Thorax inched closer to the royals. She found it hard to contain her excitement and fidgeted even more.

Skyla hissed to her, "Stop it!"

Her sister whispered, "I'm trying! I'm trying!"

When it was Thorax's turn to greet the royals, he bowed in respect to the couple and said, "It's a wonderful honor to be here tonight."

Cadance smiled, "You're going to love the Crystal Gala, Thorax."

He then turned to the sisters and said, "And who are these lovely young ladies tonight?" He took Skyla's hoof. "Princess Skyla." After he kissed it, he faced Flurry Heart and took her hoof. "And Princess Flurry Heart."

When he kissed it, Flurry blushed and gave a huge smile to contain her squealing. Her eyes lingered on him as he made his way amidst the crowd. She would've kept sight of him if –

"Greetings, Your Distinguished Majesties!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the shrill and haughty voice. Flurry turned to see a lean and willowy unicorn with a light magentaish gray coat and a pinkish gray mane with light raspberryish gray stripes. Her cheekbones were as high as the frilly high neck collar tightly wrapped around her neck and her brown Elizabethan dress was as gaudy as her personality.

Cadance returned the greeting, "Hello, Zesty Gourmand."

Zesty clarified, "It's _Baroness_ Zesty Gourmand. Don't ever forget it."

Shining Armor whispered to his wife, "Yep. Still the same Zesty as she was the last time."

Zesty gestured to her servants – who were carrying a huge chest – and said, "I have brought many decorations to help improve this Crystal Gala of yours."

The four servants behind her set down the chest and revealed many shiny decorations that would've not blended in well with the crystalline surroundings.

Cadance uneasily stated, "Oh, that's…very thoughtful of you, Baroness. We'll consider your offer."

Zesty held her head high and said, "See that you do."

After Zesty and her servants joined the crowd, Shining Armor told his daughters, "Why don't you two have some fun? Mom and I have to finish greeting the last of the guests."

Flurry smiled, "Okay, Daddy."

When Skyla and Flurry joined the other guests, the younger sister gasped in delight when she saw…

"Snowy! LB!" Flurry cried as she raced towards them.

Little Button chuckled as Flurry embraced the both of them, "Hey, Flurry! Long time, no see!"

Snow Pea said as Flurry drew back to face them, "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the Everfree Kingdom, but did you have a wonderful time with the other cousins?"

Flurry answered, "Of course I did! They were so helpful trying to help me find a cutie mark. We really tried, but I'm still a blank flank."

LB comforted, "Well, you know what they say: it's the effort that counts."

"Don't you mean 'it's the thought that counts'?"

"Yeah, but effort and thought are pretty much the same thing."

Skyla couldn't help but envy her sister's ability to socialize with other ponies so easily. Flurry always did have that air about her, always cheery and kind. She attributed Flurry's social skills and somewhat her personality to their mother. Cadance was always a social butterfly and happily took time for other ponies. Skyla knew that she got the reclusive nature from her grandmother, but she wanted to prove that she could be just as social as Flurry Heart was.

She walked up to a few ponies she never met before and uneasily said, "Hey…you. What a lovely evening, huh? Like those shimmering crystals up there? They were refined by the kingdom jeweler."

Luckily, this piqued the ponies' interest. One of them asked, "Ooh! Where can we find the jeweler?"

"He's not at the ball right now, but I think he's still in his shop."

Another pony in the group said, "We should go there after the ball."

After the group left, Skyla chastised herself, _Way to go, Skyla. You can attract attention to anypony but yourself._

"Princess."

She gasped as she heard Zesty's voice behind her. She turned and faced the baroness.

Zesty remarked, "I never thought I'd find you so alone in a place so full of life. After all, you are a princess."

Skyla said sadly, "That's only half of who I am."

"Oh? Then why don't we go someplace quiet so we could have a nice, little chat?"

Skyla was surprised, but she followed Zesty anyway. If anyone could understand what it was like to be the heir apparent, it was her. When they reached a couch outside the doorway to the ballroom, the two mares sat down.

Skyla inhaled and then asked, "Baroness Gourmand, do you know what it's like to be an heiress?"

Zesty nodded, "Oh, yes. Very much so. Ponies kept pressuring me to be just as good as my parents were. I hated it so much that I wanted to run away. Thankfully, I didn't, and I learned that the pressure I was being weighed down with was good for something. If it weren't for the constant demands, I wouldn't be the mare I am today."

Skyla knew her next question was going to sound ridiculous, so she worded it carefully, "Have you…felt like you were being outshone by…somepony else?"

Zesty scoffed, "Ha! That's an absurd thing to say. No one can outshine Baroness Zesty Gourmand in her own homeland."

"Not even if you had a sister?" She covered her mouth in shock of her Freudian slip.

Zesty scoffed again, "Is this what it's about? You think your own sister is going to become greater than you will ever be? You heirs with siblings think all the same, and I will give you the same advice given to them, Crown Princess Skyla. You are not to let your sister claim the glory you deserve. You are the heir to the Crystal throne. You shan't let it slip away from you."

Just then, one of Zesty's servants leaned through the doorway and said, "Um, begging your pardon, Baroness."

Zesty said to the servant with scorn dripping from her haughty voice, "Yes? What is it?"

"A Duke Zephyr Breeze requests an audience with you."

"Ah," Zesty said more calmly. "He's probably heard of my reputation for food critiquing. I must attend to this, Your Highness, but thank you for your time with me."

After Zesty and her servant left, Skyla sat quietly on the bench and pondered on what the baroness said.

Blaze was growing nervous every minute Professor Sunburst and his family were absent from the party. What if Blaze's grudge was enough to keep Nova and her parents from coming to the Gala? A part of him wanted to be satisfied that Nova might not be coming, but another desperately wanted her to come, probably to hate her more.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar voice called out, "Hey, my B-Colt! How's it going?"

Blaze was partially embarrassed that he had to come to the Gala with his parents, but at the same time, he had a burning question he wanted an answer to.

Sunset said in concern, "You looked alone, so we thought you could use some company."

Blaze muttered, "Yeah, well, I preferred Professor Sunburst's company."

Sunset and Timber heard that, but they weren't offended.

His mother told him, "I'm sure he and his family will be here soon."

Timber joked, "Yeah, they're probably trying to comb the knots out of his mane."

Sunset smirked at him while she playfully punched his arm.

Blaze had to ask. If any moment was right, it had to be now. "Mom?"

She asked, "Yeah?"

"How did you do it? How could you forgive Starlight just like that, even after she kept you hostage for so long?"

The parents looked at each other with solemn looks before Sunset told Blaze, "Well, the thing is…Starlight didn't treat me like a captive when I was growing up. I actually believed that she was my mother. Sure, there were rough spots here and there, but overall, she wasn't a bad guardian. Well, she wasn't a great one, either. Look, my point is that I was angry with her for a while after learning who I was, but during the sleeping curse, I took one look at her journals and I saw a completely different side of her. I knew that because her past had shaped who she was, I couldn't hold it against her anymore. When she wanted a second chance, I just gave it to her without question."

"How come?"

"Because everyone gets sad or angry at least once in a while, and that can change a person."

"Like Uncle Discord?"

Timber nodded, "Yep. Definitely him. And your Aunt Gloriosa."

Sunset's eyes caught something and she pointed to it, "Oh, look! There they are!"

Blaze turned to see Professor Sunburst and his wife all dressed in their best. However, the sight that most surprised him was Nova, who was flanked by her parents on either side. She was without her glasses and her mane was wavy like the ever-moving waters of the ocean. He had never seen a prettier sight until that moment. He felt his heart fluttering and his nerves jolting through every inch of his body.

How could he have stayed mad at her? She was – No. No. He wasn't going to just fall for her radiant beauty after what her mother did to – But Nova was so pretty and maybe he was – Forget it. There was absolutely no way a prince like him could be wrong.

While Blaze's inner turmoil played out, Timber urged him slyly, "You know, you could always ask her to dance with you."

Blaze turned to his father with a flustered expression and protested, "What?! Dad! I'm not just going to ask Nova in the middle of the ballroom!"

Timber shrugged, "Why not? You kept chattering about her after she beat you at that magic duel."

"That was raving – ranting! I was _ranting_ about she could've possibly been more beautiful than me!" He realized his Freudian slip and blushed as his parents tried to stifle their chuckles. "Look, forget it, guys! I hate her for what her mom did to you. I'm not going to forgive her for that."

Sunset asked him in a firm tone, "Blaze, did Nova kidnap me from my family?"

"Well, no, but –"

"Then Nova's not to blame, so you shouldn't be angry at her for something she didn't do."

"Yeah, except being her daughter."

Timber assumed the same tone as his wife, "Well, then you should be mad at Professor Sunburst for being Starlight's husband. Are you?"

"No. No, I'm not."

Sunset implored her son, "Please, Blaze. Let go of the past. It's over now. I've moved on and so should you. Please. Give Nova and her mom a second chance, like I did."

Blaze knew that his mother was just as wise as her twin sister, but the wisdom she spoke came from the heart. Every bit of it proved to be right time and again. His mother was always right, and he just had to accept that…and forgiving Nova and her mother.

He nodded, "Okay, Mom, Dad. I'll go talk to her."

As he slowly walked towards Nova, Timber smirked to his wife, "You used the eyes, didn't you?"

Sunset chuckled and then answered playfully, "I think it was my voice."

"Well, I find your voice very mellifluous."

"Which means 'honeyed'? Yes, I know."

They both chuckled before embracing each other and kissing.

On the other side of the ballroom, the butler met up with Shining Armor and Cadance.

He said in a worried tone, "Awful news, Your Majesties."

Cadance asked, "Yes? What is it?"

"The guest singer cannot make it due to illness."

She gasped, "Oh, dear!"

Shining Armor asked, "But we still have the back-up, right?"

The butler shook his head, "Not really."

"The back-up back-up?"

"All of them are sick, Your Highness. There's nothing we can do."

Cadance asked worriedly, "But what do we do now?"

Roller Blade overheard this and told his cousins, "Hey, guys. All of the singers who were supposed to show up tonight can't."

Apple Butter said, "Well, who's going to fill in for them?"

Flurry thought about this for a few moments until she offered, "I'll do it."

All of her cousins were surprised and looked at her with wide eyes.

Skater voiced, "Whoa. That's big of you, Flurry."

Flurry shrugged, "Well, it's no big deal. Mom, Dad, and Skyla fill in for ponies all the time. I might as well follow in their hoofsteps."

Roller Blade smirked, "Are you sure it's not to have King of Many Colors take an interest in you?"

Flurry blushed and said in mock annoyance, "Oh, stop that!"

Skater said, "It's true. You have it bad for him."

"Look, I'm only doing this so other ponies won't be disappointed. And it might help me get my cutie mark."

Apple Butter praised, "Well, in that case, you go, girl."

Skater said as Flurry walked up to her parents, "Best of luck, kid."

Roller teased, "Yeah, don't get lovey-dovey on stage when you see Thorax."

Skater jabbed him in the side.

Flurry walked up to her parents and the butler and said, "Excuse me." When they faced her, she stated, "I want to fill in for the singer tonight."

The adults were surprised to hear that and stood there in silence.

Cadance then said, "But, honey, you don't know the song."

Flurry suggested, "Well, how about a song I do know?"

Shining Armor said, "We can do that, but it has to be one the band would know, too."

By the time Blaze finally met up with Nova (he kept chickening out and ponies kept blocking his way), he sighed in relief, "Nova, am I glad I found you!"

Nova asked in confusion, "You are?"

"Well, not entirely, but I mean I am still at least partially glad I found you, that is…" When the look on Nova's face indicated that he was unconvincing, he took a deep breath and spoke the words as quickly as he could, "Look, do you want to –"

The sound of microphone feedback suddenly interrupted him.

He cursed himself, _Stupid timing, Blaze!_

As soon as the audience's attention was directed towards the stage, Shining Armor spoke into the microphone, "Fillies, gentlecolts, and guests from all around, thank you all for coming to the Crystal Gala. It's always a festive and fun tradition for us every year, and what tradition would be complete without a song? Unfortunately, our guest singer had to bow out due to illness, but my daughter, Princess Flurry Heart, would be glad to sing for us instead. She's making her mother and me so proud by volunteering to do this, but she's already made us proud from the very beginning. Let's welcome Princess Flurry Heart, who will be singing the song 'Think of Me'."

While the crowd applauded, Skyla thought of two possibilities: that Flurry was doing this to get attention or that she would make a fool of herself onstage.

Flurry Heart stepped up to the microphone and took a deep breath as the piano began to play. She thought to herself, _Okay, Flurry. You got this._

She began to sing, _"Think of me…Think of me fondly…when we've said good-bye…Remember me once in a while…Please promise me you'll try…When you find that once again you long…to take your heart back and be free…If you ever find a moment…spare a thought for me…"_

Just then, the rest of the orchestra burst out in music and filled the entire ballroom with such moving melody.

Flurry continued to sing, _"We never said our love was evergreen…or as unchanging as the sea…But if you can still remember…stop and think of me…Think of all the things we've shared and seen…Don't think about the way…things might have been…Think of me, think of me waking…silent and resigned…Imagine me, trying too hard…to put you from my mind…_

 _"_ _Recall those days…Look back on all those times…Think of the things we'll never do…There will never be a day…when I won't think of you…"_

Meanwhile, in a dark and secluded forest where a few rays of Luna's moon shone, an antlered silhouette shot its head up as if it could hear the song of the young Crystal princess.

Back at the Crystal Palace, the guests gave a round of applause to Flurry.

Thorax softly sang in amazement, _"Can it be? Can it be Flurry?"_

Both Cadance and Shining Armor cheered, "Bravo! Bravo!"

Cadance sang, _"Long ago…It seems so long ago…How young she and her sister were…"_

Shining Armor sang, _"Now they're growing into mares…Life can become a blur…"_

Flurry resumed singing, _"Flowers fade…The fruits of summer fade…They have their seasons, so do we…But please promise me that sometimes…you will think…"_ She vocalized for several moments until she finished, _"…of me!"_

The ballroom erupted in thunderous applause. Some of the guests were even crying, but none more so than Prince Rutherford and his companions.

Rutherford sniffled, "Music beautiful. Much soul."

Skyla couldn't believe it - they loved Flurry! Her little sister was beloved by ponies, but now she was also beloved by creatures from other places as well! How could Skyla stand a chance of being adored by the masses? With her eyes welling with tears of frustration, jealousy, and sorrow, she ran out of the ballroom. Flurry saw this and decided to fly after her.

After Zesty saw the scene unfold, a small but devious grin formed on her face. She said softly, "Hmm…interesting."

 ** _AN: The song featured in the chapter is "Think of Me" from_** **The Phantom of the Opera.**

 ** _It is important to note that the events seen here were entirely circumstantial yet crucial to the plot. Without these things taking place by pure chance, we wouldn't have this story, now would we?_** ** _:)_**

 ** _Oh, and one more thing. Did you get the reference to the episode "Party Pooped"?_**


	11. Corruption from Within

Flurry Heart and Luna stood outside Skyla's bedroom door in concern.

The smaller alicorn knocked, "Hey, Skyla? Are you okay?"

Skyla's distressed voice shouted though the door, "No! No, I'm not! I can't take it anymore!"

Luna asked, "Granddaughter, whatever is the matter?"

Skyla exclaimed, "Grandmother's with you?! Admit it, you did it on purpose!"

Flurry asked in confusion, "What?"

"You brought her here so she could see the real me, the bad me!" She then burst into tears.

Luna attempted to calm her down, "Skyla, please. Your emotions are clouding your judgment."

Skyla shot off with resentment in her voice, "Oh, so you think being overly emotional is not queenly, huh? But Flurry is! Flurry is queenly enough to replace me!"

Flurry shook her head, "No, Skyla! It's not like that!"

"Well, you're the perfect candidate! Go ahead and take the throne when our parents step down! I could care less!"

Luna said more firmly, "Skyla, this must stop. You must calm down and listen."

Flurry Heart pleaded, "Please hear us out."

Skyla humphed, "I'll listen to Grandma, but not to you."

Flurry felt like her sadness would soon overwhelm her, so she asked, "Why not?"

"Just because."

"Well, what can I do to make amends with you?"

"I just wish…you weren't loved at all!"

Flurry's heart cracked in two when she heard that. She couldn't hold the pain in, so she whimpered, "Grandma…I want to go to bed now."

Her granddaughter sniffled as Luna comforted, "That would be wise. We should leave Skyla alone for a while until she calms down."

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Skyla clomped to her vanity when she knew her sister and grandmother left. She looked into the mirror and found anger and sadness still etched all over her face, not to mention the runny mascara underneath her tormented eyes. In fact, the mascara was the only thing she noticed, so she sought to rectify this. She poured makeup remover in a small basin and dabbed a handkerchief into it.

She muttered in a seething tone as she wiped the mascara off, "I, Princess Skyla, heir to the Crystal throne, _heir to the Crystal throne_!" When she wiped the mascara off, she proceeded to pull the gems out of her mane. "No one shall deny me my birthright, not even my sister! I _will_ become the next queen of the Crystal Empire, so help me, Faust!"

Her lilac magic aura had become dark violet with shades of black by the time she pulled the last gem from her mane and threw it at the porcelain bowl containing the other jewels. The force of the throw caused the bowl to fall on the floor and shatter. Its glittering contents spilled all over the crystalline surface on which Skyla stood. She gasped when she realized what she had done. She looked down at the scattered gems and remembered the ruined Gala decorations not too long ago. She recalled how she had compared herself to them, and now she wondered if the jewels on the floor were symbolic of her shattered state. She climbed into her bed – dress and all – and wept herself to sleep.

No matter how hard Skyla wanted to rest peacefully, dreams did not come to her. Instead, they were replaced by memories of the Crystal Gala and Flurry's magic burst. The alarm associated with these events robbed her of serene slumber until she woke up in the middle of the night. She couldn't go on like this. She had to know. She had to know if she was still the rightful queen. She ran out of the bedroom and trotted towards the throne room.

When Skyla reached the familiar double doors, she quietly opened them and walked inside the throne room. After she softly closed the doors, she turned her gaze towards the Crystal throne. She knew it was her destiny to preside over the Crystal Empire from this room, but would it be robbed from her? She stepped towards it and analyzed every detail of the throne. When her eyes fell on the large crystal sitting on top of the throne, she remembered an old legend. She read somewhere that whoever was worthy of ruling the Empire would be able to make the crystal flash rays of rainbow light. Skyla readied to activate her magic and take the shot, but suddenly, the doors opened and she turned to see –

"Baroness Gourmand!"

Zesty – now wearing a white, loose nightgown – cried in surprise, "Oh, forgive my intrusion, Your Highness! I seem to have lost my way around the castle looking for the bathroom. Can you tell me where it is?"

Skyla instructed, "Uh, sure. Go down the hall, turn left, and it's the first one on your right."

"Yes. Thank you."

Skyla turned towards the throne again and prepared to activate her magic.

Zesty came up to her and remarked, "That is a truly majestic throne, Your Highness."

"Thank you. I'm going to sit there one day when I am queen."

" _If_ you are queen."

Skyla faced her in confusion, "What? Of course I'll be. See that crystal up there? If I can make it shine rainbow light, then it proves that I am worthy of taking the throne."

Zesty challenged, "Let's see it, then."

Skyla concentrated again and a lilac aura appeared on her horn.

Zesty said to her, "You know, I've heard ponies say that young Flurry Heart has more magic than you have."

Skyla, trying to focus on hitting the crystal, couldn't help but ask, "Yeah? What about it?"

"I'm just pointing out that with her abilities and raw talent, she could easily beat you in a magic duel."

The spark of anger made her magic aura darken to a medium purple color. "What does that have to do with being queen?"

"Everything. Flurry Heart's powers would enable her to protect the Crystal Empire and perhaps even Equestria."

The fears Skyla had before she and her sister went to the Everfree Kingdom resurfaced anew. Her magic aura now darkened to the same color it had been when she accidentally broke the porcelain bowl.

Skyla scoffed, "Give me a break. She's not strong enough to do that."

"Yes, but she _is_ more powerful than you. Ergo, she could be a more suitable –"

Skyla interrupted, "All right! All right! I get it! But she's not the heir!" As she said that, her magic aura became a haze of green and purple. "I am!"

She shot a bolt of black magic at the crystal and darkness enshrouded the shiny piece of gem from the inside out. A shadow then sprouted from the crystal and made its way down the throne and across the floor. As the shadow creeped towards Skyla and Zesty, a secret stairway began to appear from a purple and green haze.

Zesty gasped, "What did you do?!"

Skyla was alarmed by this as well. What happened? What did she do wrong? Was _she_ wrong?

She looked down the passageway and said, "I don't know!"

"You didn't create rainbow light, that's for certain."

"I don't know what I did, but any new passage is worth exploring." She lit up her horn and her lilac aura appeared as if she didn't use dark magic to begin with. She asked Zesty, "Are you coming?"

She scoffed, "I wouldn't set foot on those wretched stairs even if you gave me all the gold in the kingdom. We must inform somepony of this."

Skyla pleaded, "Don't tell anyone yet! It's the middle of the night and my parents might freak out about this. Can we save it for after breakfast?"

Zesty looked at her like she wasn't going to change her mind, but then she sighed, "All right. You have my word. But that is only because you are a hostess and I am a guest."

"Thank you."

Skyla traipsed down the long, winding stairs and seemed to be far from the bottom about a minute later.

Zesty called down in annoyance, "Are you even there yet, Your Highness?"

Skyla responded, "It's a long way down! I'll check to see how long."

She pulled a dark crystal from the wall and threw it over the stairs. She kept listening for the sound it would make when it hit the bottom. About several seconds had passed before she heard the distant clink of the crystal. She realized that the stairs went farther down than she initially thought.

She called up to Zesty, "It might take me a while to get down there!"

Skyla began walking down the stairs again when a part of the step her hoof was on broke under her. She screamed as she fell over the stairs and into the hole the steps curved around. Just before she could hit the ground, she enveloped herself in her lilac-colored magic. She sighed in relief as she safely landed on her hooves. Suddenly, she heard the sound of clopping descending down the stairs.

Zesty panted as she reached Skyla, "Princess! I feared you might've gotten injured! If anypony knew that I just stood there while your life was in danger…" She shivered, "…I dare not to think of it!"

Skyla put her hoof on her shoulder to calm her, "But I'm all right, Baroness. On the bright side, we did reach the bottom."

Zesty's anxious face soon morphed into irritation. "Oh, the things you do to get me down here!"

The princess turned to see a black door with a crystal on top of it. She used her magic to open the door, only for the portal to zip away from her!

Zesty remarked, "Well, that's unexpected."

Skyla tried to open the door again, but it moved again.

The princess uttered, "What in the…?" She tried again, but without success. She grunted, "Stop...moving!"

Zesty scoffed, "And you're supposed to be the Crystal heir?"

That ticked Skyla off and her frustration darkened her magic again. She responded angrily as she tried to summon the door, "Yes, I am!"

Surprisingly, the door came to her when she used dark magic. Skyla was too angry to notice, however, and aimed a haze of green, black, and purple at the topmost crystal. As the crystal turned black, the door seemed to recoil from such powerful magic. It then opened for her as if conceding to Skyla. White light spilled from the open portal and Skyla looked at it in awe.

She softly said to herself, "I wonder what's in there…"

She stepped towards the light and found herself facing her vanity mirror. She looked all around and saw that she was back in her bedroom. Was she dreaming the whole time? She rubbed her eyes in case she had been asleep.

At that moment, the door opened and her father leaned in, cheerfully saying, "Skyla, let's go! The whole crowd's waiting for you."

Skyla said in confusion, "But…my mane…"

She gasped as she looked in the mirror again. Her mane was lavishly styled to match the extravagance of her Crystal Gala gown.

She touched her mane as she breathed, "How did…?"

Cadance joined her father and requested with a smile, "Honey, everypony's waiting for you! Can't miss out on your grand debut as the new queen."

Skyla was speechless. She was a queen now? All right, she was either dreaming or having a vision. If this was a vision, then maybe she could learn some things from this before she was actually coronated. She walked with her parents to the balcony and saw the cheering ponies below them. She had never felt so happy or appreciated in her life.

Shining Armor then whispered to her, "Wave to the crowds, honey."

Skyla stepped towards the railing and was about to wave when –

"Hey! Check me out!"

She looked up to see her sister flying in the sky and showing off her magic. The crowd oohed and ahhed at such impressive displays; even Cadance and Shining Armor joined the reverberation of awe. Skyla didn't know what her sister was doing, but she knew that it couldn't be good. Flurry then held out a crystal much like the one sitting atop the throne.

The alicorn said, "Now, don't blink! This is where it gets really cool!"

She threw the crystal into the air and used her magic to both levitate it and light it at the same time. Rays of rainbow light showered the kingdom and the ponies went wild with delight.

Cadance gasped in excitement as she asked her husband, "Shiny, do you know what this means?"

Shining Armor nodded, "I most certainly do!" He then announced to the crowd, "Fillies and gentlecolts, Flurry Heart's display of magic proves without a doubt that she will be our new queen!"

Skyla's heart dropped and her stomach formed a knot as she breathed, "What?"

After Flurry flew onto the balcony with pride, her parents placed the crown on her head. At that moment, a flash shone on her flank and gave way to a cutie mark of a golden crown with rays of yellow light emanating from it.

Skyla fought through her shock and she asked, "But – but…what about me? I'm supposed to be the heir!"

Flurry Heart responded with an evil smile, "You are nothing if not the spare! Now bow before me, _former heir_!"

She used her magic to force Skyla to bow down. The elder sister strained her eyes upwards to see her family members laughing wickedly at her.

Skyla whimpered, "No…No…This can't be…This can't be…"

 _"_ _Your Highness! Your Highness!"_

The desperate pleas of a distant voice made everything vanish before her eyes and she saw a blurred Zesty Gourmand over her.

Zesty's muffled voice implored her in concern, "Your Highness, say something!"

Skyla groaned as she put her hoof to her head, "What…What happened?"

Zesty said as the princess stood up, "You tell me. You were the one staring at that wall."

She turned to see that the baroness was right – all the door led to was a wall. But what did she see? Perhaps it was a vision, although a pretty frightening one.

She said, "I think…I saw the future. I have my mother's foresight, so it allows me to see what will happen a long time from now."

Zesty asked, "What did you see?"

Skyla didn't want to tell her in fear of being disbelieved, but since she brought up her inherited gift, she had no other choice but to explain.

She took a deep breath and elucidated rather shakily, "I saw…my sister…becoming a queen…and forcing to me bow down before her!" Just then, an awful thought crossed her mind. She gasped, "What if she becomes the shadow pony from my dreams?!"

Zesty asked, "The who?"

Skyla knew that it slipped out, so she explained, "I've been dreaming of a shadowed figure for some time now. It had a horn and bat wings and a long, flowing mane."

"That sounds like your sister, all right."

"But what if it's an evil version of her? I have to stop it before it can happen!"

Zesty drew Skyla close to her and said, "Listen to me, Skyla. I think I know of a way to stop her. Only a pure heart like yours can nip her future tyranny in the bud."


	12. Nightmare

The next morning, Flurry Heart slept soundly in her bed. There was a tremendous amount of heartache the previous night, so when Flurry had retreated to her bedroom, she cried as she prepared for bed. She wanted to sleep off the heartache, so the moment her head had hit the pillow, she fell into a deep slumber.

 _Knock-knock_

The light rapping on the door managed to bring Flurry out of sleep, if only a bit.

 _Knock-knock_

There it was again. Maybe it was Skyla coming to apologize for the blow-up last night.

 _Knock-knock-knock_

"Yes, I'm coming," Flurry wearily said as she climbed out of bed.

She went to the door and opened it to find…a royal guard.

The princess was surprised by this until the guard said in a near-urgent tone, "Your parents wish to see you, Your Highness."

Flurry did not like the sound of that at all. It meant that something was wrong. As she made her way down the hallways, countless thoughts bounced around in her mind. What if her grandma told her parents about Skyla's blow-up? What if Skyla made herself gravely ill? What if there was a new threat made against the Crystal Empire? Or what if…Skyla was captured?

The young princess opened the doors to the throne room and found her parents staring out a window. When the royal couple turned to face her, she softly gasped. The worried look in her father's eyes and the runny mascara smearing her mother's eyes were never good signs.

Flurry asked while trying to control the growing panic in her body, "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?"

Shining Armor solemnly told her, "It's Skyla. She's…vanished."

Flurry unconsciously let out a gasp. She asked, "Has she been captured?"

Cadance shook her head, "There was no ransom note, no sign of a break-in, nothing to suggest a kidnapping. We fear that she may have…run away."

Impossible! Skyla would never run away, not if she was the heir to the Crystal throne! This was not like her, this _could not_ be like her! She knew that her duties were in the Crystal Empire. She wouldn't have just up and left the kingdom and her family without saying good-bye! No. There had to be more to this. There just had to be.

Even though Flurry was shell-shocked all over, she went about her morning as normally as possible. She knew that Discord was out looking for her, but he hadn't returned with her yet. Could something have happened to either Discord or her sister? Flurry thought of the possibility that Skyla did run off, but she got kidnapped in the process. If this kidnapper had anything to repel or disable Discord's powers, then that would've explained why he didn't come back with her as soon as possible. Flurry just wished she knew what happened to the both of them.

She walked to the window and wondered where they were. As she looked out, she found that she could suddenly see miles away. Her sight rushed through Canterlot and then Ponyville before reaching the Everfree Castle. By a window, to her surprise, was a familiar figure looking outwards.

Flurry gasped, "Skyla!"

Abruptly, she found herself back where she was before. What just happened? Did she gain a new ability to see far off, or was it a vision like her mother and sister would have? She decided to look outwards again and try to see the Everfree Castle. Unfortunately, it didn't work this time, so Flurry knew that she had a vision – a very handy vision. She knew where to find Skyla, so she started to trot back to the throne room.

However, she skidded to a stop once she realized something. Her parents would be too afraid to let Flurry leave home to bring her sister back. But what if Skyla was in trouble? Surely, the guards her parents would send would be too late by the time they would reach the Everfree Castle. She had to do this all by herself, without anypony knowing about it.

She walked back to her bedroom and took out a disguise from her closet. When she slipped into the clothes to hide her wings, she put a bandana on to cover most of her bunched-up mane and sunglasses over her eyes. After she opened the window, she took a deep breath. She then climbed onto the windowsill and jumped out. Swiftly, she enveloped herself in her yellow aura, floated down the wall, and then got behind one of the legs propping up the palace. When she landed in the dais, she peeked out to see if anypony saw her. Luckily, no one did, so she casually walked down the main street.

She thought it was odd that everything seemed less shimmery than normal. When she saw that everypony had worried looks on their faces, she remembered why. She looked back towards the Crystal Heart and saw that it was dimmer than usual. She knew that Skyla's disappearance caused much worry to affect everyone and everything in the Crystal Empire. The fate of the Empire further motivated Flurry to get to the Everfree Kingdom and save her sister.

As she continued down the street, Flurry Heart started wondering to herself. What was odd about last night? Besides the blow-up and Skyla running away from the ballroom, there had to something else. Then, it hit her. Flurry saw her sister talking with Baroness Gourmand at the Crystal Gala before they went out the doorway, so what if it was that talk that made her leave in the first place? But what could Zesty have possibly said to Skyla?

When Flurry thought back to the blow-up, she remembered that Skyla had snapped about not being queenly enough and how her sister would be a good replacement. Maybe what Zesty said to Skyla caused her to doubt herself. Even if she didn't know for certain, Flurry had to bring Skyla back home and remind her of who she was. When Flurry reached the train station, she went behind the building and took a deep breath. She had to do this, for the sake of the Crystal Empire and possibly all of Equestria. She activated her magic and teleported as far away as she could. She was hoping to arrive at the Everfree Castle, but she was only half a mile farther than where she previously was and could still see the train station.

She groaned, "All right. Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."

She kept teleporting every half-mile until the Crystal Empire was no longer in sight. At that point, Flurry disposed of her disguise and flew up towards the sky. She knew she had a long way to go, but she wasn't giving up until she reached the Everfree Kingdom.

The sun was setting by the time Flurry reached the Everfree Castle. She had to stop to rest at Canterlot, no matter how hard she wanted to resist. However, the aching bones in her wings and her diminishing energy were too great for her. To make sure she wouldn't be seen, Flurry had ducked behind a bush and rested there. Thankfully, nopony even seemed to notice her there, so after she renewed her energy, she took off again without detection. She knew that stopping to rest meant losing valuable time she could've been saving her sister, but she wouldn't have continued on otherwise.

Now that Flurry had arrived at the Everfree Castle, she saw that the sky had become blood red from the sunset. She saw two silhouettes by the front doors and trotted up to them. She instantly recognized them as the guards, who were now lying down next to the entrance.

Flurry pleaded as she tried to nudge them awake, "Hello? Hello?! Wake up, please! Wake up!"

Their coats seemed to be warm, so Flurry was relieved that they weren't dead. Still, why wouldn't they wake up? She opened the doors and found the inside of the castle to be very dim. A twinge of fear tugged at Flurry, but she knew that if her sister was somewhere in the castle, then she would brave scary hallways just to find her.

"Hello?" she called out softly. "Are you here, Skyla?"

Suddenly, her hoof ran into something. She gasped before she looked down and braced herself for the worst. To her surprise, it was Discord, who was lying down and unconscious like the guards!

"Discord…" Flurry breathed. "What happened to you? What happened to the guards?!"

At that moment, she saw a flash of lilac light down the hall. She quickly ran towards the source and it vanished just seconds before Flurry found herself in the throne room. The vast room was just as dim as the hallways, if not a little brighter.

She looked all around as she called out, "Skyla? Are you here? Please come out. I want to take you home."

When she heard the clopping of hoofsteps, Flurry turned towards Starling's throne.

Skyla stepped out from behind the throne and sneered at her sister, "Why, if it isn't my little sister who's come to mingle with the common folk."

Flurry didn't understand what she meant, so she asked while keeping her guard up a bit, "Skyla, what's going on?"

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what is going on…" Skyla gave a glare that chilled Flurry's soul.

Flurry softly asked, "I don't understand. What did Zesty say to you?"

"She has helped me a great deal, for she had helped me discover your true intent of stealing my place in the Crystal Empire!"

The alicorn was stunned that her sister would assume that. She denied, "No! I would never do such a thing! You are my sister!"

She replied coldly, "My vision said otherwise."

Flurry's eyes shrunk as she breathed, "Vision? What vision?"

"It does not matter, for I will make sure it never comes true…"

Skyla's horn lit up in a medium purple aura and chains flew from both sides of the throne room. They tightly wrapped around Flurry and refused to free her from their grip.

Skyla explained, "These chains will keep you bound for as long as you have evil in your heart."

Flurry couldn't believe what she was hearing. What had her sister become?!

She grunted in an anguished voice, "Skyla, why are you doing this?!"

"Because there can only be _one_ heir in the Crystal Empire, and that heir…WILL BE ME!"

She stomped her front hooves as she emphasized the last part. Cracks that formed under her hooves snaked upwards to a window above Skyla. When the whole window became cracked, glass sprung from the frame and scattered all over the floor. The moon shone brightly through the broken window and moonlight flooded the throne room.

Skyla pulled out a vial and said, "I will ensure the safety of my kingdom and continue the legacy of the rulers before me." She then barked coldly to Flurry, "And you will never be a threat to anyone for as long as I live!"

The unicorn took off the stopper and lifted the vial to her lips, drinking its contents. Suddenly, she gagged and bent over in pain. Flurry wanted to run to her sister's aid, but before she could even try to break free of her chains, darkness swirled around Skyla and enveloped her. Flurry gasped as she witnessed the horrific scene happening before her eyes. The fiery sphere that held Skyla prisoner soon released a tall, dark pony.

Her eyes became red with hate and her pupils became slit with menace. Her long, flowing mane was black with a single vivid mulberry stripe. Bat wings sprouted from either side of her body and fangs sharpened in the mouth her cackles sprang from. As soon as the threatening pony landed on the platform maliciously laughing, Flurry's heart dropped when she realized who it was: her own sister! When Skyla stopped laughing, her eyes darted to Flurry and anger replaced evil delight on her face.

"Now I will do what I should've done a long time ago," she said as her horn became enveloped in a red aura.

When Skyla shot her magic at her sister, Flurry cried, "NO!"

Unexpectedly, she disappeared in a burst of yellow light and reappeared near the overarching skylight above.

Skyla sputtered, "But how…?"

She growled as she attempted to hit her sister again, but Flurry flew out of the way in time and landed roughly on the debris-ridden floor. She heard hoofsteps coming towards her and saw her darkened sister emerging from the dust clouds.

Flurry rasped as she weakly got up on her hooves, "Skyla, I'm not going to fight you. We can work this out together. We're sisters!"

Skyla scoffed, "'Skyla'? I am Nightmare Sky! And I know exactly how to work this out…" She lit up her horn again as she shouted, "I DESTROY YOU!"

When she shot her magic at her younger sister, Flurry flew up and out the hole in the skylight.

Nightmare Sky smiled menacingly, "And where do you think you're going?!"

She flew up after Flurry and tried to hit her again, but the alicorn still evaded her. A chase then ensued around the castle exterior as a group of familiar ponies emerged from the Everfree Forest.

Nova Rose cried as she pointed her hoof towards the sky, "I see her!"

Suddenly, one of the red rays of Nightmare Sky's magic hit Flurry in the chest. She yelped before she fell into the ravine.

The group – consisting of Snow Pea, Little Button, Mothball, Screwball, Roller Blade, Skater, Apple Butter, Blaze, and Nova – all gasped, "Flurry Heart!"

Snow Pea commanded, "Blaze, Nova, go down to see if she's all right!"

Roller Blade finished, "We'll handle this newbie monster."

Nightmare Sky heard a loud whistle and turned to see seven ponies looking up at her.

Screwball taunted, "Hey, freako! Try to catch us!"

She then blew raspberry at Nightmare Sky as the other ponies shot rocks at the dark alicorn. When they ran into the forest, Nightmare Sky gave them chase over the trees. After Blaze and Nova Rose peered out from a bush to see if the coast was clear, they teleported down to the ravine. Flurry was so still that they feared that she might've been dead.

Blaze shook his cousin, "Flurry? Flurry, are you still there?! Flurry, answer me!"

When the alicorn groaned awake, the two unicorns gasped in delight.

Nova sighed in relief, "Flurry Heart! Thank goodness you're all right! We thought you were –"

Blaze confidently remarked, "Well, I didn't. I knew she was still alive."

Nova shot him a dubious look.

Flurry asked wearily, "Where are we?"

Blaze answered, "Down in the ravine…and luckily away from the eyes of that evil monster."

Flurry said sadly, "She's my sister."

Her cousin and friend became surprised by this development.

Nova asked, "But how? I thought she was taken."

Flurry shook her head, "She wasn't taken. She came here on her own free will and…" her voice shook with both trauma and sorrow, "…turned herself evil."

Suddenly, they heard screams up the ravine.

Blaze said, "Uh-oh. Let's hide." He teleported the three of them near the Tree of Harmony. "There. We should be safe here."

Flurry fretted, "But what about my sister? How can I stop this?"

Nova looked up and got an idea. "We could use the Gem of Harmony!"

Blaze and Flurry faced her and asked, "What?"

"Maybe we can use the Gem of Harmony to turn Skyla back to normal."

Blaze thought, _Dang! Why didn't I think of that?_

Flurry took a deep breath and said calmly, "All right. I hope it works."

She flew up to the center of the tree and lit up her horn. The Gem of Harmony became enveloped in her magic as it slowly left its place at the center of the star. When the gem got within a few inches of her, flashes of many colors began to shoot from the relic and loop around her at a fast speed. When the flashes became fast enough, Flurry was enveloped in a pink force field. Nova and Blaze watched in wonder as the alicorn flapped her wings and made her way out of the cave. They followed her outside to see her ascending into the night sky.

When Nightmare Sky flew in front of Flurry, she groaned, "You again?! This time, I end you for good!"

Flurry's tears fell at the heartache of seeing her sister so twisted and cruel. Still, she had to do this, to protect Equestria and bring her sister back. When Nightmare Sky shot a red blast at her, Flurry had to push aside her sadness and concentrate on the Gem of Harmony. The relic lit up and released a ray of rainbow light that clashed with the dark magic. No matter how hard Nightmare Sky tried, the rainbow kept pushing her magic back until…

"NOOOOOO!" she cried as the righteous light overwhelmed her.

Flurry watched in shock as the rainbow carried her sister to the moon. When it reached its destination, a mark in the shape of a pony's head formed on the heavenly sphere's face. This was never what she wanted. She only wanted to return Skyla to normal, not send her to the moon! What if Flurry was evil like her sister said she was going to be? Maybe this was only the beginning.

When Flurry Heart landed on the ground, she was so heartbroken and numb that she almost didn't notice the collective gasps of her cousins. She saw they were shocked by something and looked down at what they were seeing. At first glance, it seemed like shattered glass in front of her. But when she inspected it closer, she drew her head back in shock and gasped. The broken shards had once made up the Gem of Harmony!

 ** _AN: CartoonNerd12 helped me write the confrontation scene up to where Skyla said she was going to be the one heir._**

 **** ** _My sister had said that there would be elements of_** **The Lion King** ** _in this story, and that's starting with the line Skyla says about mingling with the common folk. ;)_**


	13. Crisis after Crisis

Apple Butter exclaimed, "It's broken!"

Nova Rose fretted, "Now the Tree of Harmony's going to die!"

Blaze said angrily, "Flurry, how could you?"

Snow Pea chastised, "Blaze, don't blame her for this."

Flurry shook her head, "No, he's right. I've broken the Gem of Harmony like how I broke the Crystal Heart when I was a baby. I suppose my cutie mark's going to be in breaking gems, huh?"

Roller Blade pointed out, "I don't see a cutie mark on your flank."

Screwball suggested, "Maybe we can get Grandma and Great-Aunt Luna to fix it. They've done it before."

Flurry said, "They can't ever know it was me."

Skater tried to reassure her, "Kid, it's going to be okay. We'll just tell them everything and –"

"No! I'm never going back! I _can't_ go back! What if I'm a threat to everyone?! I should run now, before I hurt other ponies!"

Little Button shook her head, "No, Flurry, no! You can't run away!"

Flurry's eyes glistened as her voice thickened with emotion, "I'm sorry. I have to go. It's the only way I can protect you."

She turned away from them and took off with a sonic boom in her wake. She flew so fast that no one could catch up to her even if they tried.

As Flurry disappeared over the horizon, Nova asked sadly, "Now what do we do?"

Just then, they heard groaning by the castle entrance. They saw that the guards were just waking up. Before they could get up, the doors suddenly flew open and crushed them.

Discord, who had opened the doors, asked, "Why did I see Flurry Heart fly over the castle just now?"

Screwball said uneasily, "You better sit down, Dad. It's going to be a bit much."

"You want a bit much?" He pointed his thumb behind him, "Check out the throne room."

The ponies followed Discord into the throne room and gasped at the damage left over from the skirmish.

Mothball asked, "Do you think Flurry was fighting that new villain in here?"

Discord replied, "I would say that with 99% certainty the answer is 'yes'."

Apple Butter asked, "But who was she and why did she want to get rid of Flurry Heart?"

Roller Blade suggested, "Maybe she kidnapped Skyla and lured Flurry here so she could dispose of her."

Discord asked, "Wait. How did you all get here in the first place?"

Screwball explained with a nervous smile, "You see, Flurry vanished from the palace, so I used my powers to track her down. When we found out where she was going, we jumped on the next train to Ponyville and headed there."

Little Button added, "And then we saw this new villainess attacking Flurry and blasting her into the ravine. We got the villainess to chase after us while –"

Discord exclaimed, "The villain chased after you?! Screwy, what on earth were you thinking?! You're pregnant, for crying out loud! You shouldn't be chased by some dangerous foe in your condition!"

Screwball retorted, "Oh, yeah? And where were you? Making Mom and me worried sick wasn't exactly good for either of us!"

"Well, for your information, I was fine. Unconscious, maybe, but I was still fine!"

Snow Pea asked, "Discord, who knocked you unconscious?"

He explained, "Believe it or not, I just teleported myself right to Skyla, but then she threw some kind of sleeping powder at me. After everything went dark, I woke up to see that she had disappeared again, so I went to look for her. I got to the throne room and found it in this shape. Oh, and I also saw Flurry fly away through the hole in the skylight." He pointed upwards as he mentioned the skylight.

Nova Rose burst into tears and confessed, "Flurry ran away because she used the Gem of Harmony to send Skyla to the moon and broke it!"

Everyone stared at Nova with wide eyes full of shock.

Roller Blade gaped, "That was Skyla?!"

Skater asked, "That horrible monster?!"

Nova and Blaze both shouted to get the point across, "YES!"

Blaze explained, "Flurry told us that Skyla turned herself evil. She tried to use the Gem of Harmony to get Skyla back to normal, but she got sent to the moon instead and the Gem broke."

The ponies and draconequus just stood there until a fainting couch flashed into view and Discord fell on it like a drama queen.

Screwball muttered as she rolled her eyes, "Such a drama king."

Snow Pea asked, "Now what do we do?"

Nova suggested, "Um, panic?"

Blaze scowled, "That's your answer for everything!"

She retorted, "Not everything!"

Just then, Discord's eyes caught something through the hole in the skylight. He pointed upwards as he asked, "Does that count?"

The ponies looked up and saw four new stars surrounding the moon. The stars made up a constellation of a diamond with the heavenly sphere in the center.

Mothball remarked, " _That_ is definitely new."

Snow Pea knocked, "Zecora? Hello? We know it's late, but it's important. Can we please talk to you?"

Luckily, Zecora opened the door and greeted warmly, "Welcome, my honorable guests. Are you on another quest?"

Little Button said, "We are, in a way." She then sniffed the air wafting from inside Zecora's hut. "Are you cooking something?"

"Why, yes, I am. Some spicy soup with a bit of yam. Perhaps you would like a bite? No belly wants to be empty all night."

Screwball said, "Come to think of it, I am a bit hungry."

Discord agreed, "Of course! You're eating for two, after all."

After Zecora and her guests had their bowls of soup in front of them, the zebra congratulated Screwball and Mothball, "I am happy to hear that you are expecting a child so dear. My sincerest wishes to you and your offspring. Such delight and wonder a child brings."

Screwy smiled while touching Mothball's hoof, "Thank you, Zecora."

Zecora then frowned, "As much as I don't want to spoil this joyous mood, I can tell whatever's on your mind is not good."

Discord sighed, "You know us too well, wise zebra."

Blaze explained, "It's Skyla…"

Nova added, "And Flurry…"

Snow Pea placed a small bag on the table and said, "And this."

As soon as the shattered pieces of the Gem rolled onto the table, Zecora could tell that they contained powerful magic.

Zecora asked, "How are all three connected? Perhaps in the problem, the answer can be detected."

When nopony wanted to say anything, Skater took a deep breath and explained, "Skyla ran away from her home this morning and found her way to the Everfree Castle. Flurry went to look for her and we went to look for Flurry. By the time we got there, Skyla had…become an evil alicorn and was…trying to kill her sister. Flurry used the Gem of Harmony – these shards – on Skyla and banished her to the moon. When the Gem broke, Flurry flew off."

Discord cleared his throat, "You forgot to mention my rescue attempt! I tried to bring Skyla back, but she threw sleeping powder at me! By the time I woke up…" his irritation soon morphed into sadness, "...it was too late to save her."

Zecora stayed silent until she said, "My deepest pity to you all. It's painful when from grace a princess falls."

Roller Blade suddenly remembered, "Oh, we forgot to tell you! There are now four stars near the moon and they kind of form a diamond constellation. Do you know anything about that?"

A spark of worry flickered in Zecora's eyes as she asked, "Was this before or soon after Skyla was sent to the moon?"

Apple Butter contemplated before she said, "I think it was after Skyla was banished."

Zecora breathed as her eyes widened in fear, "No, it can't be…The prophecy!"

As Zecora rushed all around the room to gather potions and powders, Discord groaned, "Oh, wonderful. Another one? We just got rid of the last one!"

Little Button asked Snow Pea, "What can this mean?"

Blaze said, "Well, whatever it is, I hope it doesn't involve Snow Pea again."

Zecora said as she retrieved the last vial she needed, "No, it is not about Snow Pea." She put a bowl of liquid at the center of the table. "This is a different and much darker prophecy."

She dumped the powders and potions into the bowl until she began to stir the concoction. An image of the moon before Skyla's banishment soon formed in the liquid.

Zecora told the group, "In ancient zebra lore, elders foretold of a heavenly door. The door, however, would not lead into paradise; instead, it would release terrible evil and vice. When a dark pony becomes trapped in the moon…" The shape of a pony's head appeared on the moon's image. "…the four stars will aid in her escape very soon. She will arrive with an army beside her to spread in all directions fear and terror."

Mothball said, "And now with the Gem of Harmony in pieces, the Tree of Harmony is going to die and take all kinds of magic with it. Without any sort of magical defense against Skyla and her army, we won't stand a chance."

Everyone stayed silent until Blaze uttered, "We. Are. Doomed."

It wasn't long before the Tree of Harmony began to die. The absence of its very heart could be felt throughout Equestria. The magic for which the Tree was responsible could not be sustained without the Gem of Harmony, so thus it began disappearing at the very edges of the land.

The voices of the royals could be heard singing, _"She must return…Since the Gem of Harmony's broken…Since the Gem of Harmony's broken…Since it's broken…All through great Equestria…the magic will start dying off…for all creatures, for all shamans...For Pegasi…For unicorns…For Earth ponies…For the dragons…For all the cattle, for the sheep…For all the oxen in the fields…For all the dreams, for all the sleep…till the moment the magic yields…Where's Flurry Heart? Before things burn…she must return…"_

As Flurry kept her distance and watched the turmoil happening before her very eyes, she sang, _"Once I called you sister…Once I thought the chance to make you laugh…was I all ever wanted…"_

When uncontrollable storm clouds began forming, the frightened citizens sang as they pointed to the darkening sky, _"Look, there's thunder from the sky…Here comes the lightning crashing down…"_

 _"_ _And even now, I wish that you'd never been bitter…Serving as your foe unwillingly…is the last thing that I wanted…"_

 _"_ _There are many fires burning…in every field, in every town…"_

Flurry sang as she sorrowfully watched the devastation, _"This is my home…All this pain and devastation, how it tortures me inside…All the innocent who suffer…and have no choice but to hide…"_

Another group of ponies sang as parasprites came towards their crops, _"There are parasprites on the wind such as the world has never seen…on every leaf, on every stalk…until there's nothing left of green…"_

Elsewhere, the royals sang, _"Where is Skyla? This we must learn…She must return…"_

Flurry sang, _"You who I called sister…why must we permit another blow?"_

 _"_ _Where's Flurry Heart? For her we yearn…"_

 _"_ _Let your hatred go…"_

 _"_ _She must return…"_

Though separated from each other, they both sang, _"You/She must return…"_

Meanwhile on the moon, Nightmare Sky looked down towards Earth and saw the havoc happening all over Equestria. However, she didn't take notice of that and only focused on her hatred for Flurry Heart.

She sang, _"You who I called sister…How could you have come to best me so? Is this what you wanted?"_

The royals sang, _"Where is Skyla? For worse, things turn…"_

 _"_ _Then let my heart be hardened…and never mind how high the cost may grow…This will still be so…I will never let my hatred go…"_

 _"_ _She must return…"_

Flurry Heart sang, _"You must return…"_

Nightmare Sky sang, _"I will not…"_

They both sang in their separate places, _"Let…"_

Nightmare Sky sang, _"My…"_

Flurry sang, _"Your…"_

Both sisters finished, _"Hatred…go-o-o-o-o-o…"_

At the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Heart was growing dimmer with each day. Since the Crystal Heart was tied to Cadance, her grief over the absence of her daughters stripped the relic of some of its power. The amount of magic the Crystal Heart now had was barely enough to protect the Empire from the plagues that had invaded the rest of Equestria. After the Gem of Harmony was broken, the royals who were there during the incident told the rest of their families, so now everyone in the clan knew about Skyla's downfall and Flurry Heart running away. Cadance, who took the news hardest of all, did not budge from her bed, too weighed down by the grief for her precious daughters.

Shining Armor, weary with grief himself, sighed as he entered their bedroom, "The North Luna Ocean has just reclaimed a third of Vanhoover. No casualties, but the damage is still devastating."

Cadance asked, "What are we going to do, Shiny? My mother and Aunt Celestia can't fix the Gem of Harmony because the break in our daughters' bond caused it to become impossible to repair. Oh, Shiny, I thought everything was going well in our lives, but for this to happen…" Tears sprang up anew in Cadance's smudged eyes. "Where did we go wrong?"

As his wife wept softly into her pillow, Shining Armor stroked her back and comforted, "We did the best we could. Something else must've happened. Something that might've made Skyla turn against her own sister."

Just then, a guard appeared by the doorway, "Your Highnesses, we found Baroness Gourmand by the side of the road."

Shining Armor nodded, "I'll go see her."

Cadance said as she rose from the bed, "I'm coming, too. Zesty was there when Skyla had her breakdown and she left the morning Skyla ran away. If she knows anything about what happened, we'll both talk to her."

Shining Armor said as he helped Cadance onto the floor, "All right. If that's what you want."

The royal couple made their way to the castle foyer and saw the baroness in a white bathrobe.

A guard explained to the royals, "She was filthy when we found her and she insisted on a bath before seeing you."

When Zesty saw the royals, she humphed, "Well, it's about time!"

Cadance asked, "Baroness Gourmand, what happened?"

"It is absolutely outrageous! I of all ponies got ambushed on the way to the Gala!"

This surprised the couple, so Shining Armor asked, "But weren't you there that night?"

Zesty replied indignantly, " _I was not!_ It must've been that dreadful bug-pony who attacked us with her small band of insects. Of course, I don't know how she'd even impersonate me. She was far too tall and too…ghastly to even pull it off."

The royal couple's eyes widened as soon as they realized who Zesty's ambusher was.

Cadance slowly said, "Zesty, that was no bug-pony."

Shining Armor explained with a serious expression, "That was a changeling…named Chrysalis."

 ** _AN: The song in this chapter is a tweaked version of "The Plagues" from_** **The Prince of Egypt** ** _._**

 ** _As for Flurry Heart running away, it reflects both when Snow White ran away and when Simba ran away. That way, it utilizes elements from both the fairy tale and_** **The Lion King** ** _._**


	14. Shelter

She couldn't stand it. She absolutely couldn't stand it. This was all her doing. The Gem of Harmony wouldn't have broken if she hadn't tried to use it. She wouldn't have tried to use it if Skyla hadn't corrupted herself. And Skyla wouldn't have corrupted herself if Flurry hadn't been loved at all. Everything led back to Flurry, so henceforth, it was her fault.

She had to get away. She just had to get away. The chaos in the wake of the Gem being shattered was too much for her to bear. They could never find out it was her. She had to hide, but where? Maybe someplace dark and hidden like –

"Whoa!"

Flurry's distracting thoughts and her teary vision had blinded her from seeing the peak of Foal Mountain until it was almost too late. She fortunately dodged it, but she immediately lost wing control after making such a quick move. She yelped as she tried to regain her flying, but her panicked attempts only made her dive headfirst into a dark forest. She crashed through the top branches of the trees and eventually got lodged between two limbs of a forked branch. Her messy mane hung down as she struggled to get free and onto the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a menacing growl. She gasped as red glowing eyes emerged from the trees. Each pair of eyes was attached to a prickly body in the form of a bear's. The bears looked up as they sniffed at their new prey. One of the bears stood upright and began to push on the tree trunk, making Flurry yelp.

She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Help! HELP!"

As soon as she cried for help, a loud whistle attracted the bears' attention.

She heard a male voice shouting, "Hey, prickle-backs! Over here!"

When another whistle sounded, the bears immediately growled and ran towards the noise. The whistling and the growling grew fainter and fainter until Flurry could no longer hear them. When she was completely alone, she teleported herself onto the ground and ran in the opposite direction. She panted as she hurried through the thick forest, hoping that the bears wouldn't chase after her. The dark woods were scary in her eyes and she prayed that she'd find some safety soon. Just then, she saw a faint light shining through the trees. Sighing breathlessly of relief, she ran towards the light.

When Flurry reached the lamppost at the edge of the forest, she felt something wash over her body as she exited the woods. She looked back and wondered what it could've been, but decided not to worry about it at the moment. She was safe from the bears and that was all that mattered. Now she just needed to figure out where she was. The barely-visible town in front of her was dark in the woods at this time of night. There were hardly any ponies or creatures wandering about.

She thought to herself, _Good. The less people who see me, the better._

"You there!"

Flurry cringed, feeling like she just jinxed that thought. She turned to see a light purple unicorn with a wavy pink mane. She wore glasses over her eyes and was adorned with many accessories.

The unicorn smirked, "You are a princess, are you not?"

Flurry knew her horn and wings gave it away, but she uttered, "Um…"

"Oh, now, now, now. Don't be modest. Why don't you come into my store to buy some wares? I have valuable objects from all over that you can't resist having."

"Thank you for the kind offer, but what I really need is shelter."

The unicorn then became dispassionate and said, "Oh. Check in at the inn two street markers from here if you want someplace to stay."

Flurry knew that someone there might recognize her, so she explained, "Oh, no, I can't. I…am on the run."

The unicorn's eyes widened with interest and she asked, "On the run?" She then gave a sly smile, "It must be something pretty bad for a princess like you to want to stay hidden from view. But if you are willing to pay for some of my goods, perhaps I could let you stay at my little abode for a while."

Flurry said, "Oh, I didn't bring any money with me, but I give you my word that as soon as I return to my kingdom, you will be repaid for your kind deed. Sound fair?"

The unicorn rubbed her chin as she said, "A princess's word is very hard to break." After contemplating for a few more seconds, she smiled, "All right. We have a deal."

Flurry and the mare shook hooves.

The unicorn said, "Let me close up shop so you can come home with me."

After the shop went dark and the adult mare closed the door, Flurry pointed out, "I never got your name."

The shopkeeper chortled, "Oh, that's right! We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Cauldron Bubbles, owner of the finest magic shop in all of Hollow Shades. Who may you be?"

Flurry put her hoof on her chest as she said, "I'm Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire."

"The Crystal Empire?" Her eyes widened as she said in amazement, "You're from the Gleaming Jewel of Equestria? I knew you were a princess, but I didn't know that you came from…You know what? Send me jewels instead of bits when you get back. _That's_ what I want in repayment."

When the two ponies came up to the edge of the forest, Flurry grew nervous. "Maybe we should take the safest route."

CB smirked, "This _is_ the safest route."

Flurry gulped. When they set hoof into the woods, the tingling sensation washed over her body again.

The princess asked after they began walking, "What was that?"

Cauldron said, "That feeling you just got? It's the magical barrier surrounding the town. It protects Hollow Shades and anyone who goes into the woods from the Black Forest Bears and other harmful creatures."

"I sure wasn't protected."

"You weren't?"

"No. Some of the bears tried to eat me."

Cauldron put her hoof to her chin, "Interesting. Which way did you come into the forest?"

Flurry blushed in embarrassment, "I…crash-landed through the trees."

This took Cauldron by surprise. "Were you attacked by enemy forces?"

She shook her head, "No. I was pretty much alone until tonight."

Before Cauldron could say anything, her attention turned to the damage on the trees and the debris of branches on the ground. "Whoa! Is this where you crash-landed?"

"This is where I _stopped_."

"Oh, my! That must've been some crash-landing, huh? Even a princess like you would be more graceful than that." When Flurry hung her head in shame, Cauldron apologized, "I'm terribly sorry for that remark. It was rude of me to say that. Come on. Let's get going."

When they reached the cottage outside of the forest, Flurry felt the tingle again.

Cauldron, knowing what Flurry was going to say, explained, "Yes, I know. I put the protection spell on my neck of the woods, too." She then laughed, "Get it? 'My neck of the woods'?"

Flurry chuckled and then said, "You're just as funny as someone I know."

Cauldron dared with a smile, "Oh, yeah? Wait till you meet my son. You're going to love him. He is absolutely magnificent, one of a kind." When she opened the door, she called out, "We're home!"

Flurry looked inside and saw many mystical items and designs decorating the interior. Herbs hung over an alchemy table and a cauldron sat in the fireplace beside it.

Cauldron's brow furrowed as she said, "Huh. Maybe he's upstairs reading the copy of _Mooncurve's Guide to Interval Incantations_ I gave him. I'll go check up on him. Make yourself comfortable."

As Cauldron Bubbles went upstairs, Flurry looked around for someplace to sit. Just then, she heard a distinct squeaking. She turned towards the open door and saw a tiny mouse scampering out of a bush at the edge of the forest. In curiosity, she walked out of the cottage and near the bush. At that moment, she heard a voice that she recognized as her rescuer's!

The voice grunted, "Hey! Where do you think you're going? You're not getting away from me this time! Ah-ha! Oh, no…AAAAGGGGHHH!"

A large pack of mice scrambled out of the bush, causing Flurry to gasp and hover off the ground. After the mice were gone, Flurry landed on the grass again. Suddenly, a stallion's face poked through the bush, surprising her. He was also surprised to see somepony new around here.

Timidly, he bared his sharp teeth in a small grin and said, "Hi."

Flurry was astonished that though he looked like a regular pony, he had fangs lining his mouth. On the other hoof, he did look kind of cute with his deep reddish brown coat, the light brilliant cerulean spot over his mouth, the jagged bang colored with light brilliant azure and white, and his deep chartreuse green eyes.

She asked him, "What do you think you were doing?"

The colt ducked his face into the bush again until he emerged from behind it with a swatch of leafy brush stuck to his head. "Well, I was just trying to catch some mice. It's a game I play with them."

"Sounds to me like you were chasing them. Fluttershy would not approve."

The stallion didn't notice Flurry's wings until that moment. "Say, you don't happen to be a princess, do you?"

"What gave it away?"

"Your wings and horn. Only alicorns are royals."

"Other ponies can be royals, too. You haven't seen my family."

He blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry. What I meant to say was that the only alicorns around are royals. I suppose ponies consider them too powerful to be anything else."

She sighed, "That might be true. I'm Princess Flurry Heart."

"Hmm. Can't say I've heard of you. You probably wouldn't know me, either. I'm Mischief."

Flurry smiled as they shook hooves, "Pleased to meet you. No offense, but you have something on your head."

Mischief nervously chuckled as he put his hoof on the swatch, "Oh, it's nothing, really. I'll deal with it later."

Just then, Cauldron Bubbles leaned out the doorway and smirked, "Ah, Mischief. I see you've met our new houseguest. I'm glad you are treating her with such warmth and hospitality. I hope that behavior from you continues, young colt."

As Mischief and Flurry started walking back to the house, he whispered to her, "I take it you met my mom."

Flurry asked in hesitation, "So the fangs…?"

"From my dad. I'll explain later."

When the two ponies entered the house, Cauldron whispered to Flurry, "I knew you'd like him." The unicorn then looked at the swatch of bush on her son's head and asked in a chiding tone, "Mischief, why do you have a piece of bush on your head?"

Mischief replied, "I'll take it off upstairs, Mom."

He started going up the stairs, but like when he went up to the house, the leaves of the swatch fell off with each step. By the time he got to his bedroom, he saw that the swatch was gone and his deer antlers were exposed.

His eyes shrunk as he breathed, "Oh, no." He rushed to the top step of the stairs and saw his mother and Flurry Heart gaping up at him from the first floor. He sighed in defeat, "You saw the antlers, didn't you?"

Flurry nodded, "Well…yes." Mischief braced himself for any rude or scathing comment the princess would make, but instead she asked, "They're from your dad, too?"

Even though he was surprised, he answered, "Yes."

Cauldron Bubbles suggested, "Why don't we clear the air during supper? It might help break the ice some more."

During dinner, Flurry tried not to stare at Mischief's antlers and Mischief averted eye contact with Flurry in case she gave him weird or disgusted glances. The only thing neither wanted to be was hated more.

Cauldron Bubbles found the silence to be awkward, so she said, "So, Princess, did you know that Mischief has quite a colorful past?"

Mischief said under his breath, "Mom, no."

She chastised, "Oh, shush. Let me tell her about –"

"I'll do it." He opened his mouth to explain, but he chickened out at the last second and said, "I…don't have much to talk about."

Cauldron rolled her eyes at her son's feeble attempt.

Flurry assumed the topic was difficult for Mischief, so she changed the subject. "I want to thank you for saving my life earlier."

Both Cauldron and Mischief were surprised to hear that.

The antlered colt asked, "What?"

Flurry explained, "I heard you whistle and get the bears' attention. You lured them away from me so I could escape."

Mischief was now flabbergasted and he exclaimed, "That was you?! You were the one calling for help?!"

The alicorn rubbed her arm in embarrassment, "Yeah, I kinda crash-landed in the forest and got stuck in a tree."

He stayed silent until he said, "I don't understand. What would a princess like you be doing all the way out here?"

Cauldron responded, "She's on the run. That's why she's staying with us. When the danger passes, she'll go back to the Crystal Empire and repay us in glittering jewels."

"Wait a minute. You're from the Crystal Empire?"

Flurry nodded, "Yes."

"But shouldn't you have the Crystal Heart to protect you? I read that it's very powerful."

Cauldron said, "Not for long. I hear that all kinds of magic are dying and the Crystal Heart may be one of them."

Flurry thought with guilt, _And all because of me._

She rose from the table and said with a slight trace of sorrow in her voice, "I would like to go to bed now."

Cauldron led her upstairs as she said, "All right. I'll show you to the guest bedroom."

Mischief couldn't help but pity Flurry. She must've gotten sad from hearing about how the Crystal Heart might be dying. More than anything, he knew how important one's home was.

Flurry Heart was grateful to be given shelter in her time of need. However, as she climbed into bed, she knew that it would result in yet another restless night. Her guilt and trauma would infest her sleep and bring about terrible nightmares. It had been like that ever since she broke the Gem of Harmony and endangered the lives of everyone. She saw being in bed as pointless and put her hooves on the floor.

She noticed that a beam of moonlight touched her hoof, and despite her better judgment, she dared to open the curtains and look out the window. There it was, the blemished moon with the mark of a pony's head on it. She knew that was her sister up there, the sister she put on the moon. Flurry could imagine Skyla looking down on her with seething hatred, those red eyes cutting through her very soul. The thought of Skyla – or anyone else – never forgiving Flurry was enough to break her. Hot tears came rapidly as Flurry tried to quiet her sobs so no one could hear her.

 _Knock-knock-knock_

The sudden knocking of the door stopped Flurry's crying.

Mischief's voice said in concern, "Hey, Flurry? I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."

Flurry hastily wiped her tears away as she replied in a broken voice, "Yes. I – I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

She answered as she climbed into bed, "Yes. Goodnight, Mischief."

Outside the door, Mischief stood there, wondering why Flurry sounded upset just now. Surely the dimming power of her kingdom's relic wasn't enough to make a princess weep. He was fairly certain of that. If she wasn't upset over the Crystal Heart dying, then what could it be?

 ** _AN: For the record, Cauldron Bubbles is not an OC. She is a canon character who has recently appeared in Issue #51 of the MLP comic series. I thought that given her expertise in magic (and my sister's liking to the character), I decided to make her part of this story._**

 ** _As for the Black Forest Bears, they're OCs from one of my early fanfictions._**


	15. Armies

Things were still as bleak as ever at the Crystal Empire. Luna and Celestia had to come to the kingdom to revitalize the Crystal Heart whenever necessary. It wasn't easy, but this action would protect the Empire for another day.

When the sisters went back inside, Sombra – now sporting a graying beard – fretted, "Celestia, you cannot keep this up forever. The Tree of Harmony will soon be dead and –"

Celestia calmed her husband, "I know, but it would not be in our nature to just sit by and do nothing at a time like this."

Luna agreed, "This is indeed a grave matter. My daughter lies ill with grief, my elder granddaughter has been banished, and my younger one has vanished without a trace. Do not think it hasn't affected me worse than anypony else."

Celestia put her hoof on her sister's shoulder and comforted, "I know what you're going through, Luna. I felt the same way when Sombra was cursed, when my elder daughters were kidnapped, and when my younger daughters almost died. You are not alone."

Sombra said, "We share your pain, Luna. We really do." Then, he got an idea. "Wait. You control the moon, right?"

Luna responded in bemusement, "Yes."

"What if you could fly to the moon and try to talk to Skyla? Maybe she'll be convinced to turn from darkness before it's too late."

The dark blue alicorn stood in silence for a few moments until she said, "I will try, but she inherited many traits from me. Stubbornness may be one of them."

Celestia urged, "At least try, my sister. Try to make Skyla see the light before she's free to harm anypony."

Luna closed her eyes before opening them with determination and stating, "I will. I will bring back Skyla. For Equestria and my family."

She went to the balcony and focused her eyes on the blemished moon. She lit up her horn and spread her wings. She then took off at lightning speed and flew towards the moon. At the rate she was going, she was within range of the moon in just ten seconds flat. Even though the comet of blue light seemed like it would impact the moon, Luna softly landed on the surface amid raised clouds of dust. All seemed quiet and calm on the heavenly sphere, but the nighttime alicorn was not fooled so easily. She knew her granddaughter had to be around, one way or another.

She called out, "Skyla? Are you here? Come out and show yourself to me."

As if a reply to her request, the surface lining the horizon began to blacken. The darkness then crept towards Luna and blackened the ground under her hooves. She took this as a sign that her granddaughter was not far.

A voice then said, "Hello, grandmother."

Even though Luna tried to prepare herself for the moment, her heart couldn't help but drop when Nightmare Sky revealed herself in the form she now took. However, Luna kept a straight face and replied, "It is unfortunate that you are trapped here."

"Yes, one cannot have any visitors in this dismal prison, the prison you control day and night. But…you are the first, and I thank you for taking the time to visit me and perhaps…even free me."

Luna held her hoof up and explained, "Skyla, you must first be rid of this darkness before you are to ever return home."

"Are you sure it is I who holds the darkness within? Are you sure it is not the so-called pure-hearted sister of mine? At least with the water, I will make sure that she never takes the crown that belongs to me."

"'Water'? What water?"

"I was informed that there was a spring that could make one pure upon ingestion. As you can see, I am now powerful with purity and will right the wrong my sister has inflicted upon me."

Luna shook her head, "No, my granddaughter. You are mistaken. The water you have taken did not purify you. And your sister has done no wrong, but only what was right."

Nightmare Sky sharply raised her voice, "So…you're on her side, then? Well, I've got just the trick for that."

She stomped her hoof and Luna gasped as shadowy ponies arose from the darkened ground. They looked much like the Umbrum, but stranger.

"I would like to introduce you to my army, the Moonshadows. They were born of the Umbrum insignia that failed to cover the moon. Since then, they had waited for a savior to release them from this prison...until I came along, of course. With my loyal army behind me, I will stop Flurry and her followers at all costs! Unless, my dear grandmother, you were to join me. I heard all about Nightmare Moon and how she put every pony in Equestria into deep slumber. If you were that strong then, perhaps you can be strong once more. Join me, Grandmother, and you will become great by my side."

Luna was appalled by the very idea, but to what lengths would she go to get her beloved granddaughter back? Still, she couldn't help but utter, "What has become of you, Skyla?"

"I am Skyla no more. I am now only Nightmare Sky."

"No matter what name you take, my granddaughter is still within your heart. Please, let go of your hatred for your sister before it destroys everything you hold dear!"

" _Flurry's_ the one who's destroyed everything I held dear! I've seen all that's happened on Earth and she has caused so much damage to my kingdom, my country, and my family. Please, set me free so I can rectify all Flurry has done to the world and prevent another catastrophe like this."

Luna's heart twinged at the desperate tone in her granddaughter's voice, but she knew that if Nightmare Sky was free to roam the earth, it would cause much more devastation than the crisis happening right now.

It pained her to say this, but Luna knew she had to. "I'm sorry, my granddaughter, but I will not."

Hate flared up in Nightmare Sky's eyes as she shouted, "She turned you against me, didn't she?! She was always your favorite! She was always _the_ favorite! Everyone loved her, but not me!" Venom then dripped from her voice, "Well, if no one will love me, then they will _fear me_." Her eyes glowed red as she said those last two words.

Luna felt like her soul had just died from hearing Nightmare Sky's words reflect who she had become both on the outside and the inside. This could not be. This couldn't be the same granddaughter who had smiled blissfully and adored her sister with all her heart. What happened to her?

With virtually no way of persuading Nightmare Sky to revert back to Skyla, Luna heartbrokenly whispered, "Goodbye, granddaughter."

As Luna flew off towards Earth, Nightmare Sky shouted harshly, "TRAITOR!"

That very word stung Luna with great hurt. The numbing pain and heartache that hit her now prevented her from shooting off like a comet. Instead, she flew for miles until she saw the Crystal Empire.

Meanwhile, a guard ran up to Celestia and Sombra and reported, "Princess Luna has returned."

Celestia asked with hesitant hope in her heart, "With or without Princess Skyla?"

The guard shook his head sadly and the couple took that as a bad sign.

When the former rulers of Canterlot went out on the balcony, Luna flew up to them with tears streaming down her face.

Luna choked, "I couldn't…I couldn't save her…"

Celestia wrapped her arm around her sister as Luna wept into her pearly coat.

Twilight asked with sadness in her voice, "So she's not coming back?"

Celestia shook her head on the other side of the mirror, "Not so easily, no. Luna was completely devastated when she couldn't convince her granddaughter to reconcile with her sister. Skyla seems so certain that Flurry has become evil and that she needs to stop her before it's too late."

Blaze protested, "But Flurry's not like that! She's been Skyla's sister for how long? Why now would Skyla turn against Flurry?"

His grandmother explained, "Luna said that Skyla told her that she ingested water from a spring that she thought made her pure. Obviously, that is not the case. The spring water must've transformed Skyla into the worst version of herself."

Blaze added, "Give or take the bat wings."

Sunset rubbed her chin as she suggested, "Maybe the spring water got corrupted in some way. Did Skyla say where the spring was?"

Celestia sadly replied, "I'm afraid not. Otherwise, Luna would've said so."

Fluttershy asked, "Is there any way to reverse the water's effect on Skyla?"

"This is very powerful magic we're dealing with. The darkness that now enshrouds Skyla feeds on her hate, and that would make it very difficult to remove it from her entirely. She seems to have gone down a path that is not easy to return from."

"Nor will she ever!"

The royals gasped as they turned to see who the voice had belonged to. Standing between two unconscious guards at the throne room's doors was none other than the former changeling queen Chrysalis! Before anyone could react, Chrysalis shot a ray of magic and shattered the mirror through which the royals were talking to Celestia.

Discord said, "That's seven years bad luck, Chrissy."

She retorted, "Who asked you?! If anyone's going to have seven years bad luck, it'll be you all!"

Twilight angrily asked as she lit up her horn, "How can you be so sure?"

She then grinned wickedly, "Go on and take your best shot."

Discord said as he formed a baseball-sized sphere of yellow magic between his hands, "Don't mind if I do."

Fluttershy cried, "Wait, Discord –"

But before she could finish her sentence, Discord threw the ball of magic at Chrysalis. However, it dissipated into blue wisps within mere inches of Chrysalis.

Discord breathed in shock, "How…?"

Chrysalis chuckled menacingly and asked, "Remember this?" She put her hoof on a jagged piece of rock hanging from a thread wrapped around her neck. She explained, "This was a small piece of my throne, one of the few things that could repel even powerful magic. I used my throne to prevent getting captured before Thorax destroyed what was mine!" Her voice then went back to its silky tone as she continued, "But thanks to my new allies, I will be more powerful than even Celestia herself! No longer will I or my loyal changelings be thwarted by the likes of you or your followers, for I have been given back a piece of my legacy that will ensure my total and unstoppable rise as ruler of Equestria!"

Blaze snapped, "Haven't you heard? Magic is dying and your magic's going to go, too!"

Chrysalis snickered, "Oh, I'm not worried about my magic. It can't die with the other magic. The Moonshadows made certain of that."

The royals gaped at the stunning new detail.

Rainbow exclaimed, "Whoa. You're working with the Moonshadows?!"

Chrysalis mocked, "Oh? Did you have a pop quiz about them?" She then said, "Well, it saves me the explanation."

Twilight scowled, "You will not succeed, Chrysalis! There is no love to drain if the plagues frighten everypony."

The changeling waved her hoof nonchalantly, "Oh, I don't have to worry about that. The Moonshadows gave me a new ability…the ability to feed on _hate_." Her eyes glowed as she said that last word.

Applejack said, "But I don't understand. What could the Moonshadows want with both you and Skyla?"

"Well, that's for me to know and you to never find out."

Sunset warned, "Don't assume the Moonshadows can be trusted! If they're anything like their Umbrum counterparts, then they will turn their backs on you!"

Chrysalis said unconcerned, "Oh? And how do you know they're the bigger threat in this? Maybe I am." She tapped her hoof in rhythm before she sang, " _You're just the damsels in distress…Glad I'm not your friend or the frightened princess…I'm not a sweet honey that lures many a fly…Nope...I'm the bad guy…_

 _"_ _All you tricky royals that I see…Each of you, with shaking knees, will kneel before me…so after many years, I will succeed this time…What am I now?"_

The royals sang back with scowls on their faces, _"You're the bad guy…"_

 _"_ _Oh, it's classic…to watch the magic...shrivel up and die…Oh, it's thrillin'…to be a villain…I'll destroy their homes and then I'll watch them cry…"_ She chuckled wickedly before she was surrounded by a green flash. When she came into view again, she now took the form of a black male minotaur with a dark cerulean mane. "He" sang, _"'Cause I'm the bad guy!"_

Meanwhile at the Crystal Empire, Celestia took Chrysalis' arrival in Canterlot as a bad sign.

She ordered, "Sombra, help Shining Armor take Cadance to somewhere safe! Luna, we must save the Crystal Heart!"

Her younger sister asked in concern, "Is the Empire in trouble?"

"I fear it will soon be."

They teleported to the dais and retrieved the dimming Crystal Heart. Just then, they heard a buzzing growing nearer. They looked to see the kind of changelings they hadn't seen in a long time - the bad, ugly kind. Celestia blasted her magic at the swarm as she and her sister rushed inside the castle. However, more changelings met them down the hall and ambushed them.

At the Canterlot castle, Minotaur Chrysalis sang, _"Oh, ain't it fantastic? I see something, I blast it! And let me tell you why…"_ In another green flash, Chrysalis reverted back to her true form and sang, _"I've always had a weakness…for barrenness and bleakness…I crush all your hopes and then I watch you cry…"_

She sang as she encased the royals in green goo, _"See, I find this business rather fun…I don't want your resistance or your aggravation…I'll take over Equestria and bid ya bye-bye…Why? Come on! Guess!"_

The royals sang in irritation, _"'Cause you're the bad guy?"_

Chrysalis said, "Or, well, girl."

Her maniacal laughter rang throughout the castle as her takeover of Canterlot was now complete.

 _ **AN:**_ _ **The song featured in this chapter is "I'm the Bad Guy" from**_ **Wander over Yonder.**

 ** _To clarify on the return of the bad changelings, it should be noted that Chrysalis (in this AU, at least) kept her ability to reproduce an army. They're like the original bad changelings, but she taught them to stay hateful and spiteful._**


	16. Cracking the Surface

Flurry Heart woke up to the rainbow sparkles dancing in front of her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw a stained glass dreamcatcher hanging from the window.

 _How pretty,_ she thought as she climbed out of bed.

Her eyes gazed at the ornament in wonder as she focused on the elegant details that made it so special. There was the sun and the moon situated near the topmost curve of the dreamcatcher, a heart in the center, and stylized depictions of a Pegasus, unicorn, and Earth pony lining the bottom curve. There was also a glass triangle resembling a horn sitting atop the multicolored dreamcatcher, wings flanking either side of the disk, and feathers of several types hanging from the whole artwork. Flurry knew the dreamcatcher wasn't there when she went to bed. On the other hoof, though, it did help her sleep more peacefully. At that thought, she knew exactly who put the dreamcatcher in her room.

She walked down the stairs and found Mischief sitting at a table while Cauldron Bubbles was preparing breakfast.

CB happily greeted, "Good morning, Your Highness! Please come join us for breakfast."

When Flurry sat down, Mischief whispered, "Mom's only acting like this because you're a princess."

She gave a wry chuckle, "The one thing I don't want to be right now."

Mischief knew that it wouldn't be easy asking her a certain question, but he took a deep breath and inquired, "So why did you run? I mean, shouldn't you be in hiding with guards to protect you?"

"Yes, I am hiding, just not in the way you would think. By the way, thank you for putting that dreamcatcher in my room last night."

This surprised Cauldron Bubbles, but she kept on making breakfast.

Flurry continued, "It helped me sleep well last night. But how did you put it in my room without waking me up? I mean, you'd need magic to do that."

Mischief said with a smirk as he touched one of his antlers, "Think these babies are just for show? Watch."

His antlers became enveloped in a strong malachite green aura and soon various objects in the room floated, each in a green glow.

Cauldron chastised, "Mischief, that is more than enough objects you need for showing off your magic."

Mischief dared Flurry, "What about you, Your Highness? Care to show what you can do?"

Flurry nervously replied, "I'd rather not. My magic is a bit powerful. I don't want to break anything."

As the floating objects were returned to their rightful places, Mischief said, "Ah. Alicorns do tend to have powerful magic. Don't worry. Mine gets like that sometimes."

Cauldron Bubbles then put the food on the table as she said, "Let's eat up, shall we? Don't want the food getting too cold."

Blaze panted as he ran through the Everfree Forest to avoid detection. He got lucky enough when he pretended to be a changeling disguised as him. After he slipped away from Canterlot Castle, he teleported repeatedly for miles to the Everfree Forest until he exhausted his magic. Still, he ran further into the forest in case changelings were on his tail. When he realized that no changelings were after him, his fear subsided along with his running.

He looked all around and saw nothing but the trees and vines. Even though it was daytime, Blaze couldn't help but be intimidated by the strangeness of the Everfree Forest. He hadn't realized how scary the forest could be until that moment. He always had at least one of his relatives with him whenever he went to and from the Everfree Castle. Now, without anyone by his side, Blaze felt scared and alone. He desperately wished for someone to be with him right now.

He gasped when he heard the brush rustling behind him. He turned to the moving bushes and activated his horn to prepare for attack. He stood still despite the anxiety jumping around inside him and waited for whoever was coming to show themselves. Just then, three ponies wearing cloaks stepped out of the brush.

One pony pulled their hood down and asked, "Blaze?"

The unicorn was surprised to see that it was his cousin Skater! The other ponies pulled down their hoods and revealed themselves as Roller Blade and Apple Butter.

Apple Butter sighed, "Thank goodness you're all right! We were already on our way to Canterlot when we got word that changelings attacked the city."

Roller Blade scowled, "I knew it was too good to last."

Blaze explained, "No, guys! You got it all wrong! These were new changelings. They were like the old creepy ones, but they only belonged to Chrysalis, not Thorax."

Skater gasped, "You mean she's back?!"

Roller slit his eyes in suspicion at Blaze, "Wait a minute. Then how do we know that you're you?"

His sister held her hoof up, "I got this." She asked Blaze, "You had a magic duel with somepony last month. Who was it and who won?"

The unicorn face-hoofed and groaned, "Why _that_ question? All right, it was Nova Rose and she beat me. Happy?"

A voice then said in the bushes, "That you'd admit it? Yes."

Blaze immediately felt his heart leap when Nova stepped into view. He felt sorely relieved that she was all right, although he probably couldn't say the same about her parents.

He smiled, "Sly Rose."

Nova, although surprised, replied, "Dumb Blaze."

Roller asked, "Wait. Are you sure it's –"

Skater interrupted, "Yes, it's really Nova. They exchanged their special nicknames, even if the roles might be a bit reversed."

Blaze asked, "But how did you get here?"

Nova answered, "When the changelings – the bad ones, that is – attacked the Crystal Empire, my parents told me to flee. I put a camouflage spell on myself to avoid capture and teleported my way to Canterlot. But by the time I got there, changelings had already taken over the city, so I used the rest of my magic to teleport here without exhausting my camouflage spell." She then smirked, "I got here when you were admitting that I beat you in that magic duel."

Blaze blushed and face-hoofed again as he said, "Look, I wasn't admitting anything. I was only answering Skater's question so it would prove that I wasn't a changeling."

Nova said, "And I'm not a changeling, either. None of us are. What we need to do right now is find shelter until this all passes."

He scoffed, "So that's all we're going to do? Just hide somewhere until our parents find us and tell us it's safe?" He stomped his hoof, "No! We're going to do something about this!"

Apple Butter said, "But Chrysalis and her new changeling army might've taken hold of many parts of Equestria by now. How do you suggest we raise an army, especially if we don't know who to trust?"

Blaze sighed in irritation, "We're not going to fight the changelings. We're going to rid Skyla of her darkness so she and Flurry can mend their bond and fix the Gem of Harmony. That way, we'll have enough magic to drive Chrysalis and her army back where they came from."

Nova asked, "But how? Skyla's up on the moon."

Roller Blade said, "Hey, Zecora said that the stars are going to aid in Skyla's escape, so when she returns, we'll be ready with some sort of antidote or something."

Blaze nodded, "Exactly! Just before Chrysalis invaded Canterlot, Grandma told us that Skyla drank some spring water that turned her bad. All we need to do is find that spring, make the antidote, and spray Skyla with it when she returns to Earth."

Skater said, "Well, I guess this means we're going to Zecora's hut."

At mid-afternoon, Flurry pored over the books Cauldron Bubbles gave her. She was quite intrigued with facts about famous ponies she hardly knew about. Meanwhile, Cauldron and Mischief were quietly discussing outside the house.

Cauldron said, "Don't tell me you were thinking about telling her where you really came from."

Mischief replied, "Isn't that what you meant by 'colorful past'? Because you wanted to bring that up during dinner last night."

Cauldron face-hoofed as she groaned, "That's not what I meant! I was thinking along the lines of how you got your cutie mark or that time when you first used your antlers for magic."

"Look, my point is we should be honest with the princess. She seems pretty honest with us."

"I don't know. There might be more to her situation than she's letting on."

Mischief joked, "Somehow, I don't think we need bits to make her talk."

Cauldron gave a mock-annoyed look.

"Okay, how about this? I'll talk about me and maybe that'll get Flurry to talk about why she ran off without any guards."

Cauldron gave a sly expression, "You're using her name. I think she's growing on you."

Mischief sputtered as he blushed, "Growing in what way?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me, Mischief. I heard that you put a dreamcatcher in her room last night."

"Oh, come on! Isn't that what we're supposed to do as hosts? Making sure our guests are comfortable? She was pretty upset last night, so I helped her out."

Cauldron put her hoof to her chin and said, "I suppose when it comes to broken homes, you two can relate. But are you sure you want to tell her this soon?"

Mischief took a deep breath and said, "If it'll get Flurry to open up, then…it's a good option." He opened the door and walked up to Flurry, who was sitting at the living room table. He peered at the open book she was reading and commented, "Hey, you're reading _Legends of Magic_. Can I show you something here?"

Flurry nodded, "Sure."

Mischief used his magic to flip the pages until they got to a certain section. It had an illustration of a hideous figure that had some features of a pony but also the long body and animal parts a draconequus would possess. This creature was flanked by draconequui on one side and alicorns on the other. Above the figure were storm clouds with icy ghouls known as Windigos hovering above everyone.

Flurry breathed, "The blizzard that took the alicorns and draconequui."

He nodded, "Yeah." He pointed to the illustration as he explained, "Legend has it that there was a baby born in the land where the two kinds lived. It was such a hideous beast and it was said to have summoned the Windigos so both draconequui and alicorns could perish."

The young princess asked, "Really? I thought it was because the two races distrusted each other."

Mischief shrugged, "Well, either way, the baby brought doom upon them. I have to admit, though, they got some details wrong."

"Like what?"

"I know the baby definitely doesn't look like that."

"How do you know?"

He faced her and said softly, "You're looking at him."

Flurry's eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock. "You're…the baby?"

Mischief hung his head as he answered sadly, "Yep."

"I'm so sorry."

He got up from his seat at the table and walked across the room. "Don't be. It was 66 years ago."

Flurry was stunned to hear that. "66? But you look so –"

"Young? I was born just before the blizzard hit. I have both of my parents' slow-aging genes. I may not look 66 years old, but I certainly don't _feel_ 66 years old."

They both chuckled at that to lighten the mood.

Flurry asked, "So how old would you say you act and look?"

Mischief thought about it before he answered, "About 16. Yeah. 16 is about right."

Something then occurred to Flurry and she asked, "Wait. Were your parents a draconequus and an alicorn?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. That explains the antlers and fangs. But if your mom was an alicorn, then why…?"

He gave a chuckle, "Well, draconequui don't make much sense. That's why I don't have Mom's wings and horn."

Flurry was tempted to mention her cousin Screwball, but she felt like it wasn't appropriate at the moment. She almost didn't want to say what was nagging her mind, but she dared to. "Mischief, you can't possibly think the blizzard was all your fault."

To her surprise, he raised his voice, "Yes, it is! I'm the reason my parents and their kin are dead! I brought the blizzard upon the land and doomed them!" He then sighed heartbrokenly, "You can't possibly understand."

Actually, Flurry did understand him. What Mischief said about dooming his family sounded very similar to what she had endured with Skyla and the Gem of Harmony. Oh, and the blizzard that nearly wiped out the Crystal Empire.

Before she could say anything, Mischief continued, "I shouldn't have been saved. If everypony finds out who I really am, they'll all blame me for the blizzard. That's why I stay here, away from others."

He then began to sing, _"I…I hide my light…inside a cloak of night…behind the branches both high and low…The pearl of my heart…locked within a shell…I'm too afraid to let it go…to let it show…And all the stories read…for all the world to see…'Blizzard caused by baby'…_

 _"_ _I fall apart…I fall apart…Apparently I did escape…from the blizzard, yes, it was me…I once was that baby…_

 _"_ _I hide my pain…inside a melody…as if the notes I sing…will set me free…I keep all my dreams…under a lock and key…I'm so afraid that they will fly…away from me…I once was that baby…I once was that baby…I once was that baby…"_

He turned away from Flurry so she couldn't see the tears welling in his eyes. However, Flurry wasn't fooled, for she knew that he was hurting.

She asked, "Are you okay?"

He answered in a choked-up voice, "I will be."

"It's okay to let your feelings out."

"Not in front of a princess."

This surprised Flurry, but she asked, "Have you had any royal visitors besides me?"

"No, not really. You're the first."

She then chuckled softly, "Well, then you don't know what a princess is really like. A princess comforts others, even when the one in need is crying."

"She does?"

"Mom does it all the time. I want to follow her example and help you."

He faced her and gave a sad chuckle, "As you wish, Your Highness."

They wrapped their arms around each other in a warming embrace.

They had to hurry before the sun set. If the moon was up by the time the group got to the spring, it could alert Skyla to their intentions. There was no time to lose. Luckily, Blaze and Nova cast camouflage spells on themselves and the Marendelle cousins so changelings or any other threat could not see them. They had consulted Zecora about curing Skyla. The zebra had given them a magic talisman that could lead them to the spring water that corrupted Skyla. She told the ponies that it would glow redder and redder when they were getting nearer.

Roller panted, "I hope it won't be long now. I'm getting exhausted."

Skater agreed, "Me, too. But we've gotta do this. For Skyla, for Flurry, and for Equestria."

Nova said, "Thankfully, the friendship necklace Flurry gave me carries her signature, so Zecora said we could use it to track her down."

Blaze added, "Since the first thing Skyla's going to do after she escapes is come after Flurry."

Apple Butter shushed, "Shh! Listen! I hear gurgles!"

Skater smirked, "Are you sure you're not hearing Roller?"

Her twin shot an annoyed glare at her.

Blaze shook his head, "Nope. Those are definitely water gurgles."

Nova gasped and pointed her hoof at something. "There's the spring! We found it!"

The group trotted up to the sparkling spring, which was glorious even in the glow of sunset.

Apple Butter remarked with eyes gleaming with wonder, "It's…gorgeous."

Roller Blade said uneasily, "I don't know. I'm getting bad vibes from this place."

Blaze said as he pulled out a bag of powder, "Well, it's a good thing we're fixing this right now."

He tipped the bag and let the dusty substance fall into the water. Ripples of yellow magic washed over the spring until it reached the far edges.

When the water became clear again, Nova asked, "So…who's testing it?"

Roller raised his hoof, "I will. I'm dehydrated enough to pass out from exhaustion."

Skater rolled her eyes, "Yeah, since _somepony_ refused to take a flask of water and insisted he was stallion enough to make it all the way to the spring."

Her brother scowled at her, but then he dipped his hoof into the water and drank the amount he managed to get ahold of. The others looked at Roller in nervousness as they waited for something to happen in case the powder didn't work.

Roughly ten seconds had passed when Apple Butter asked, "How are you feeling?"

Blaze asked, "Sinister?"

Roller answered, "Well, not really, if that's what you're –" Suddenly, he grasped his throat and choked, "Aack! Oh, no! I think…I think the water's…making me evil!"

The ponies gasped as the Pegasus collapsed onto the ground. They anxiously waited for a dark, twisted version of Roller to take over his body. Just then, Roller's frightened expression melted into amusement and the Pegasus burst into laughter.

The rest of the group chastised, "Roller!"

He said as he stood back up, "Sorry, guys. I couldn't resist."

Skater grumbled, "I think you're spending too much time with Uncle Discord when he's around."

Nova said, "Still, we got the antidote we need." She scooped up the water before she continued, "Now all we need to do is find Flurry and wait until Skyla's imprisonment is over."

Apple Butter uneasily said as she pointed to something behind Nova, "Speaking of Skyla…"

The ponies gasped as they realized that the moon was rising over the horizon. They cried as they ran away from the spring, "Panic and run! Panic and run!"

 ** _AN: Thank you for introducing me to that "Panic and run" line, sis! For those who don't know where it's from, CartoonNerd12 tells me it's what the zebras say when there's trouble in_** **The Lion Guard.**

 ** _The song featured in this chapter is a tweaked version of "A Monster in Paris" from, well,_** **A Monster in Paris** ** _._**

 ** _I dropped an Easter egg in here involving an upcoming comic series. Guess what it is?_**


	17. Him and Her

_"_ _Hmmm-hm-hm-hmmm…Hmm-hm-hmmmm…"_

That voice. That beautiful voice. Mischief remembered hearing the voice on a clear night just before magic started dying. He was out in the forest when his ears had caught a mysterious voice singing "you". Even though it was just that one word, Mischief was filled with wonder. He hoped to find the one who had sung that short melody because he believed the song was somehow meant for him. He knew he was dreaming now, so he stayed asleep for a little longer to hear some more of the voice ringing through the imaginary forest.

When the sweet voice stopped humming, it sang, _"There is magic in a wishing well…"_

A wishing well suddenly materialized as did a coin in his hoof.

The voice sang, _"Make a wish into the well…That's all you have to do…And if you hear it echoing…your wish will soon come true…"_

When Mischief dropped his bit into the well, the rippling water served as the transition from being asleep to being awake.

Even though he was almost awake, he heard the voice sing, _"I'm wishing…"_

He echoed softly and unconsciously, _"I'm wishing…"_

As the brain fog went away, Mischief heard the voice sing, _"For the one I love…to find me…"_

Slowly, he started to realize he wasn't just dreaming things. He echoed again, _"To find me…"_

 _"_ _Today…"_

 _"_ _Today…"_

At that instant, he knew it wasn't a dream. His mystery voice was here! But where?

The voice sang, _"I'm hoping…"_

The singing sounded like it was right outside his bedroom, so Mischief echoed as he climbed out of bed, _"I'm hoping…"_

 _"_ _And I'm dreaming of…"_

To his dismay, his mystery mare wasn't outside his door when he opened it.

The voice sang, _"The nice things…"_

It was coming from downstairs, so Mischief quietly walked to the edge of the stairs as he echoed softly, _"The nice things…"_

 _"_ _He'll say…"_

 _"_ _He'll say…"_

Mischief's hooves left the floor and he began to float downstairs.

The voice then vocalized, _"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_

He vocalized quietly, _"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_

 _"_ _Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_

 _"_ _Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_

 _"_ _Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_

Mischief slowly looked around the corner as he vocalized, _"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…"_ He trailed off as soon as he saw who was singing.

Unaware of Mischief's presence, Flurry vocalized as she washed the dishes, _"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!"_

The antlered colt ducked behind the corner, leaned against the banister, and put his hoof to his heart.

He thought, _It's her! It's really her! She_ is _real!_

Flurry sang, _"I'm wishing…"_

Mischief quietly echoed with amazement in his voice this time, _"I'm wishing…"_

 _"_ _For the one I love…to find me…"_

 _"_ _To find me…"_

 _"_ _Today…"_

Unexpectedly, Mischief gleefully sang out loud, _"Today!"_

He covered his mouth as soon as he realized his mistake. Flurry seemed to notice this, too. Before she could go near the stairs, Mischief swiftly flew up to his bedroom and shut the door. When all seemed quiet, he sighed in relief.

He went to the center of the room and sang, _"Now that I've found you…here's what I have to say…One song…I have but one song…"_

Flurry peeked up the stairs and heard Mischief sing, _"One song only for you…One heart tenderly beating…"_

She took such an interest in his dreamy melody that she flew up to the second floor and landed softly so she wouldn't disturb him.

He sang behind his door, _"Ever entreating…Constant and true…"_

Flurry couldn't help but fawn over his singing. True, he had sung before, but this time, it was much more romantic, much more…longing.

 _"_ _One love…that has possessed me…"_

As he sang that verse, Cauldron Bubbles entered the house. She was surprised to hear singing and looked up the stairs to see Flurry Heart standing outside Mischief's bedroom.

 _"_ _One love…thrilling me through…"_

Cauldron smiled at the sweet scene and closed the door softly as she went back outside.

By now, Mischief was floating in mid-air as he finished, _"One song…My heart keeps singing…of one love…only for you…"_

 _Knock-knock_

The sudden knocking surprised Mischief and he landed on the floor. He went to the door and opened it to find Flurry just outside. He blushed when he thought she heard at least some part of his singing.

Flurry complimented, "You sing wonderfully."

Mischief smiled, "So do you."

From the moment she saw Flurry stand outside Mischief's door, Cauldron Bubbles knew there was something between the two. Her thoughts were further confirmed when she saw them glancing at each other during breakfast. This was a sharp contrast to the first dinner they had together, when they were trying to avoid each other's gaze. Somehow, Cauldron knew that Cupid was behind this change of attitude. In one way, she hoped that she would get in good with the princess's family if Mischief would marry Flurry Heart. However, another part of Cauldron just wanted her adopted son to be happy with the right pony…and she hoped Flurry was that pony.

When Mischief offered to take Flurry on a picnic, how could she say "no"? As they left the house, Cauldron gestured for Mischief to "go get the girl". Mischief playfully rolled his eyes, but he knew his adopted mother was trying to help out a little, whether for his gain or her own. He and Flurry set down the blanket on a part of the field that shone with sunlight. They laughed and conversed throughout their mid-afternoon date.

Flurry asked, "So Cauldron Bubbles has been your mom ever since you were a baby?"

Mischief nodded, "Yep. She found me just after the blizzard hit. She knew I had a lot of potential as her apprentice, but as time wore on, I became like a son to her."

"Then how is it that she's stayed young for 66 years?"

"She cast the Spell of Eternal Youth on herself."

Flurry gushed, "Aww. That's so sweet."

"Not really. She only did it to keep herself young and beautiful forever. It was before she found me."

"Oh." She was tempted to bring up Starlight Glimmer, but she decided against it. "You know, it's not fair for you to share things about you when I haven't even shared things about me."

"There must be a good reason why you haven't. Must be pretty bad, huh?"

"Which one? What I did or my shame?"

"Look, I won't judge you, okay? You didn't judge me when I told you about the blizzard, so I'm not going to judge you."

Flurry gave a small smile before she took a deep breath. She explained, "All right. I've been having magic bursts because my magic is so powerful. My sister, Skyla, thought that I'd somehow use it to take the crown. She was having visions of a new villain and thought that I'd become that villain. She drank something and it…"

She practically shuddered at the memory of her sister's transformation. She almost couldn't go on, but she continued more slowly to ease her emotions, "…turned her into the pony she saw in her visions. I wanted to save her – I really did – so I used a powerful relic to try to bring her back. But…" Her voice then choked, "…it sent her to the moon instead. When I realized the relic had broken because of my magic, I flew as far away as I could before I crash-landed in the forest."

Mischief didn't say anything for a few moments until he said, "It must've been hard for you when your sister got sent to the moon. But I don't get it about the relic. I mean, it can't be worth running away, can it?"

Flurry shook her head, "You don't understand. This wasn't just any relic. This was the Gem of Harmony. It was tied to the Tree of Harmony, which is the source of all magic in Equestria. Because of me, the Gem is broken…" Her voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes, "…and the Tree is dying and taking magic with it. Everything bad that's happening in Equestria is my fault. I'm the one to blame."

The alicorn began to cry out of shame and worry that Mischief wouldn't like her now. However, the antlered colt gently stroked her arm while trying to calm her.

Mischief tried to comfort her, "It's okay, Flurry. It's okay."

She then shouted, "No, it's not!"

He thought to himself, _Okay. Wrong choice of words._

Flurry sobbed, "My sister was right. I shouldn't be loved at all."

Mischief spoke up, "Oh, come on. Don't believe her. You know, I don't see a single evil bone in your body. So what if you doomed Equestria by breaking the Gem of Harmony? I doomed the draconequui and alicorns with that blizzard. I may not be able to reverse that, but maybe we can save magic from disappearing before it's too late. It'd be more than enough for me to know that I saved an entire country even though I couldn't save my parents and their races. It could make up for the one mistake I ever made."

Flurry said firmly, "You never made that blizzard to begin with. My grandma was one of the few who survived. She knows that the Windigos fed on hatred, so they fed on the alicorns' and the draconequui's. You were never the problem. You were just the product of a star-crossed union that should've been seen as an example for both kinds. But instead, they saw your parents' love and you as a source of outrage. That attracted the Windigos' attention and they struck the final blow. The blizzard wasn't your fault, Mischief. It never was."

"I suppose I could say the same about you and the Gem of Harmony. You never meant to break it. You just wanted to save your sister, even if she was wrong about you. She may have seen a threat, but I see the sweetest, kindest, and most understanding princess I ever met."

That made Flurry smile and blush.

Mischief asked, "You care about your people a lot, yet why did you run?"

She sighed sadly, "If they ever found out about what I did to my sister and the Gem of Harmony, they'll never forgive me."

This reminded Mischief of what he said about being the cause of the blizzard. It proved that he and Flurry had something in common.

He told her, "You're not alone. I blame myself every day for what happened to my parents and their clans. It looks like you're doing it to yourself, too. I may not be able to undo the blizzard, but maybe I can help you restore the Gem of Harmony and your relationship with your sister."

Flurry asked with hope in her eyes, "You will?"

Mischief gave her a warm smile and answered, "Yes."

They then hiked halfway up Foal Mountain to see the spectacular sunset just over the horizon. They both sang, _"Where do we go? What do we do? I think we have something entirely new…"_

When they were in the glen nearby the house, they sang, _"And it isn't just me and it isn't just you…I think I met someone entirely new…"_

However, Flurry dared to look up at the sky and saw the moon with the pony silhouette. She felt all guilt return and she lied down on the ground.

She sang sadly as her head hung down, _"Oh...um…Well, I just can't stop thinking…"_

Mischief, sensing her pain, lied down beside her and sang to change the subject, _"So...um…Would you say I was your friend?"_

 _"_ _And you hadn't before?"_

Mischief blushed and smiled as he sang, _"Of course not…When would I have ever?"_

Flurry hung her head again as she sang, _"I feel guilty…"_

 _"_ _For what? Tell me…"_

 _"_ _I banished my own sister!"_

 _"'_ _Cause you had to…"_

 _"_ _They will hate me!"_

 _"_ _I'm here for you…We're here together…"_

When Mischief touched her hoof, Flurry felt thrilled on the inside, but her expression showed surprise.

He led her to a pond as he hummed, _"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm..."_

They then wrapped their free arms around each other as if they were about to dance. Suddenly, Mischief floated upwards, taking Flurry with him. She gasped and then chuckled in surprise.

The two of them danced in mid-air as they hummed, _"Hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmmm..."_

After they stopped spinning in the air, Mischief took the both of them down and landed with his back on the ground and Flurry lying on top of him. This was nice. There they were, amidst the delicate flowers, the gleaming fireflies, and the moonbeams that shone through the trees. It helped Flurry very much not to see the actual moon…and the blotted reminder of what she did. In that moment, all she needed to see was right in the glen. She felt strangely exhilarated touching Mischief's chest and just being so close to him. She could hear his excited heartbeat every second and adored it. If this was the kind of love her parents had, she was glad she found it.

Mischief never thought in even a million years he would find someone who could love him like a wife would her husband. He thought if he was lucky, he would have a special somepony, but he never would've imagined that he'd gain the love of a princess! Everything was just right in the glen and he wished the moment would last forever. He liked the smooth grass, but Flurry's mane was better. It was so soft, so colorful, and so smooth to the touch. He could run his hoof through her mane all night if he so wished.

But like all good things, their special moment had to end. Soon afterwards, Flurry and Mischief headed back to the house. The walk was just as nice as their time in the glen, although not very enchanting. Suddenly, Mischief put his hoof in front of Flurry to stop her.

She asked in concern, "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right," he whispered to her as he eyed the house.

The door was open just a smidge, but Mischief was concerned that an intruder might've come into the house and was holding his adopted mother hostage. His antlers lit up in a green aura as he slowly neared the door.

When he stopped just inches from the door, he told Flurry, "Wait here."

She said to him, "Some princesses are damsels-in-distress while others take action." She then smirked, "I choose to be the second kind."

After Flurry lit up her horn, Mischief whispered, "One…two…three!"

At "three", they both used their magic to swing open the door. Flurry gasped as she saw Blaze, Nova, the Marendelle twins, and Apple Butter before her.

 ** _AN: The songs featured in this chapter are "Something Entirely New" from_** **Steven Universe** ** _and "I'm Wishing/One Song" from_** **Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.** ** _Nice touch with adding a bit of the first Disney film into this story, huh?_**

 ** _If any of you ask, yes, Mischief is the antlered figure who heard Flurry the night of the Crystal Gala._**


	18. Protection

"Flurry!" her cousins and friend all exclaimed in surprise when they saw the princess at the door with an antlered stallion. Nova and Blaze were the first to embrace Flurry in a tight hug.

Nova said tearfully, "Oh, Flurry! Thank goodness we found you!"

Blaze chastised Flurry, "You had everyone worried sick about you!"

Mischief asked Flurry, "So who are they? Your other siblings or…?"

Roller flew to him and eyed him suspiciously. He said as he did so, "Funny. We could ask the same about you. Why are you with Flurry, anyway? Are you a _spy_?"

Suddenly, Skater yanked his tail and pulled him back by her side. She scolded her twin, "Roller!"

A voice then asked, "What's going on here?" Cauldron Bubbles then entered the room and exclaimed with a smile, "Mischief! Flurry! Back so soon? How was your picnic?"

The search party looked at Flurry and Mischief with surprised looks as they asked, "Picnic?"

Flurry waved her hoof, "That's not important right now."

Mischief nodded with a firm look on his face, "Yeah. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Blaze answered with a proud poise, "I am Prince Blaze of the royal Canterlot family." He gestured to the Marendelle twins and Apple Butter, "This is Prince Roller Blade and Princesses Skater and Apple Butter of the royal Marendelle family."

Nova then introduced herself, "And I am Nova Rose, daughter of the royal wizard Sunburst and best friend to Flurry Heart." She then smirked at Blaze, "I can introduce myself, thank you."

In truth, Blaze should've felt offended, but he liked seeing this new smart-aleck side of Nova. He wanted to point out that her mother was his mother's kidnapper to get back at her comment, but he thought that would stoop too low.

Skater explained, "We put a spell on the friendship necklace Flurry gave Nova and used it to find her here."

Mischief scratched his head, "I don't understand. Why were you searching for Flurry?"

Blaze answered, "Duh! She's family!"

Roller Blade added, "That and to keep her safe from the changelings."

Flurry and Mischief asked with wide eyes, "Changelings?"

Apple Butter explained, "Long story short, Chrysalis made new bad changelings and overran the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, and many other places in Equestria."

Blaze added, "Oh, and she's in cahoots with the Moonshadows."

Everyone looked at him in confusion until Cauldron Bubbles asked, "Excuse me. Moonshadows?"

Blaze face-hoofed when he realized he hadn't told them. "Oh, right! You don't know. Okay, so there's this new type of Umbrum living on the moon. They were created from the insignia that failed to cover the moon." He cringed as he said, "They're also the army in the prophecy Zecora told us about."

The search party had shocked expressions and gasped, but for Flurry, Mischief, and Cauldron Bubbles, this was their first time hearing about the prophecy.

CB said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would've read about this prophecy of yours in any of the books I've read."

Skater said, "It's a zebra prophecy."

Blaze explained, "They have more of an oral tradition than a written one."

Mischief asked, "So what does this prophecy predict?"

Nova recalled, "Zecora told us that the zebra elders predicted of a heavenly door releasing evil and vice. We assume that's the moon ever since Skyla became imprisoned there."

Flurry looked down in shame when Nova said that.

Nova continued, "She also said that the four stars will aid in Skyla's escape and she'll unleash fear and terror all over Equestria. Oh, and she would have an army to help her."

Flurry asked in concern, "So you think Skyla will be past the point of no return?"

Roller Blade said, "Not really. 'Cause we got a secret weapon."

Skater took out a flask and explained, "We found the spring water that corrupted Skyla, so we fixed it up and now it's an antidote. One splash of this and Skyla will be back to normal."

Flurry embraced Skater in gratitude and said, "I really hope it works."

Back at Canterlot Castle, Chrysalis was having a splendid time ruling over the city at last. The only time she ever set hoof in Canterlot was to kidnap Celestia's six daughters. Even then, she was tempted to overthrow Celestia at that moment. Now with her and her meddling family out of the way, Chrysalis could rule over Canterlot as she so wished. However, there was still one thing that bothered her.

"Captain!" she called out.

Within a few seconds, a changeling wearing dark purple armor ran into the throne room.

He asked as he bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty?"

A smile curved up on her face as she purred, "Mmm…I do love hearing those words again." Her grin then faded as she said, "Captain, I have everything I could ever want: total domination, my enemies encased in cocoons, and my loyal army behind me. But…there is one thing that still bothers me."

"And what is that, Your Highness?"

She hissed at him, "Princess Flurry Heart! My informants on the moon tell me that she is still alive and in hiding near Hollow Shades. There are several ponies who've already found her. No doubt Flurry and her little army will instill hope in others and start a rebellion."

"But once Nightmare Sky and the Moonshadows come, they could easily take care of those ponies."

"If Flurry Heart is anything like her goody-goody family, she will search for a way to bring her sister back to normal. We'll have to draw her out somehow. Once she is in the village, my minions will be there to ambush her. You, Captain, will see to it. Do whatever it takes. Torture the villagers, starve them, steal from them – anything to lure Flurry Heart right to you."

The captain nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty." He then flew out of the throne room.

Mischief felt nervous being in the company of more royals. Before his mother went to work, she told him to mingle with their new guests like how he mingled with Flurry Heart. He knew the situation with Flurry was very different; it was just one-on-one. They could share their feelings with each other just like that. With her cousins and friend, however, he and Flurry couldn't just show their feelings for one another around them. What would they think? Mischief and Flurry agreed to keep the closeness of their friendship a secret, but it wasn't the only thing they would keep from the others.

The antlered colt was afraid of the ponies' reactions if they knew that he was a survivor – perhaps even an unwitting instigator – of the blizzard that took the alicorns and draconequui. There was no telling if they would understand as much as Flurry did. He couldn't take that chance, so he kept his mouth shut. That, in turn, led to a bit of awkwardness between him and Flurry's friends. He tried to keep telling himself that he was just friends with Flurry and nothing more. And yet, why did the thought of that sting his soul?

Flurry and Mischief told the others only what they needed to know, omitting some details here and there. But even as they related the story of the days they spent, some of the ponies saw gleams in the couple's eyes. That was a hint that Mischief and Flurry Heart were closer than they were letting on. However, they just decided to let it be, lest the awkwardness should double.

When Cauldron Bubbles came home, she exhaled, "Phew! Thank goodness I stocked up when I did. Some thieves came stampeding through Hollow Shades and stole lots of food. Thankfully, they didn't steal my merchandise. If they so much had set hoof in my store, I would've blasted them to next week."

Mischief pointed out, "Mom, you barely have enough magic to blast them ten feet away."

"Well, at least I can still make my famous Zap Stew, and I don't need much magic for cooking it."

After the stew was done, almost everypony complimented Cauldron on her delicious meal. The only exception was Flurry Heart, who just looked at her stew and was lost in thought.

Mischief noticed this and asked in concern, "Hey, Flurry? Are you okay?"

Cauldron asked, "Is my stew not that good?"

Flurry answered, "Oh, I'm sorry. I just keep thinking about those poor villagers in Hollow Shades. They have limited food now and I can't help but worry about them."

Blaze agreed, "She's right. Ponies should always try to help those in need."

Cauldron pointed out, "But how are we going to get more food? It takes a while to reach Ponyville for food and the Earth ponies are slowly losing their ability to grow crops. Oh, and we can't eat the plants that grow here. They're poisonous."

"Well, then, how about your Zap Stew? Can't we give that to the villagers?"

CB put her hoof to her chin in contemplation as she said, "I do have enough to make my stew for a few more days until someone brings more food from Ponyville. Of course, we'll have to eat something else in the meantime."

Mischief said, "I'm okay with that."

Skater agreed, "I'll take that chance."

Nova was surprised that Blaze was willing to give some Zap Stew to the villagers. She decided to go with him to see what he was like when he was generous…and not in a begrudging way.

When Blaze, Nova Rose, and Apple Butter pulled into Hollow Shades with a tied-down cauldron in the cart behind them, the residents were confused. The trio stopped the cart in the town square and opened the lid to reveal Zap Stew. The villagers gasped in amazement and were overjoyed when they saw the stew. Thankfully, they flocked gently to the three as they waited for their share of stew. Seeing the look of friendliness on Blaze's face as he poured the stew for the citizens sparked something in Nova's heart. It was nice seeing him this way, but why hadn't she seen it before?

She sang softly, _"There's something sweet and almost kind…but he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined…And now he's dear and very sure…I wonder why I didn't see it there before…"_

Just then, they heard a little filly crying and Nova rushed over to her.

Nova asked, "What's wrong?"

The filly sniffled, "My dolly. I lost my dolly. I dropped it when Daddy picked me up and rushed me home when bad ponies stampeded through here last night."

Nova gave a warm smile, "Don't worry. We'll help you find your doll." She then called out to the villagers, "Um, hello? Excuse me!" When all attention was directed at her, she instructed, "This little filly lost her doll last night. Could you help me find it?"

When the villagers started looking for the doll, Blaze whispered to her, "Nova, it's too dark here. We'll never find the doll like this."

His horn then lit up and he cast a sphere of light into the air and near the treetops. All of Hollow Shades was illuminated by the green glow of his magic spell. A stallion saw something and pulled it out from behind a barrel.

The villager called out, "I found it!"

The filly gasped in delight and the residents cheered at the successful find. As the green glow died down and made way for the usual dimness of the town, the villager handed Blaze the doll.

Nova came up to Blaze and hugged him, saying, "Oh, thank you, Blaze! You really are a prince!"

Blaze couldn't help but blush at Nova's soft embrace. When she grabbed the doll, he felt their hooves touching for one tiny moment. He would cherish that moment more than all his years as a prince.

He sang softly in wonder, _"She glanced this way…I think it's proof…And when we touched, she didn't draw back from my hoof…No, it can't be…I'll just ignore…but then she's never looked at me that way before…"_

After the filly thanked Nova and ran off to find her playmates, Nova looked back at Blaze – who resumed giving stew to hungry residents – and sang, _"New and a bit alarming…Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True that he's no Prince Charming…but there's something in him that I simply didn't see…"_

After the trio finished giving Zap Stew to the villagers, they made their way back to the cottage. Apple Butter then told the twins and Flurry Heart about Blaze and Nova.

She sang, " _Well, who'd have thought?"_

Flurry Heart sang in amazement, _"Well, bless my soul…"_

Roller Blade sang, _"Well, who'd have known?"_

Skater sang, _"Well, who indeed?"_

Apple Butter sang, _"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?"_

Roller Blade put his hoof to his head as he sang, _"It's so peculiar…"_

All four sang as they saw Nova and Blaze picking out a book to read, _"We'll wait and see…a few days more…There may be something there that wasn't there before…"_

Flurry sang, _"Well, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before…"_

Apple Butter sang, _"There may be something there that wasn't there before…"_

Flurry was glad that romance could be blooming between her cousin and friend. She wanted her and Mischief to have the same chance.

Mischief sniffed the air as he awoke from his slumber. Funny, the air smelled like…Something wasn't right. He jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs.

"Mom?" he called out when he couldn't see her anywhere in the empty rooms. "Mom?"

He ran outside and looked all around the field, which laid under the early morning sky, until his eyes caught a tower of smoke rising from the forest.

He breathed, "Oh, no…"

Flurry asked in concern as she reached the open door, "Mischief, what's wrong?"

"I think Hollow Shades is on fire! I need you to stay here with Blaze and Nova while the others and I go and put out the fire."

Blaze mentioned, "Um, hello? My _name_ is Blaze and I got my cutie mark in putting out fires with just my magic."

Mischief then smiled, "All right. You're just the colt for the job. But if the fire's too big for you, I'll be right at the edge of the forest with buckets of water."

Nova asked, "Does that mean I'm still staying here?"

Mischief nodded, "Yes. You and Flurry should stay here. You'll be safe as long as you stay in the house."

Skater said with a determined smile, "Roller and I will help with the blaze."

Blaze shot back, "Hey!"

Roller playfully rolled his eyes, "Sorry. We meant 'fire'."

The four of them then charged into the forest and found many buildings in Hollow Shades engulfed in flames. Blaze used his magic to extinguish as much of the fire as possible before he resorted to the water buckets Mischief provided for him. Despite all the chaos that occurred, Mischief managed to stay out of sight and remained a short distance away from the town. A short while later, no tongue of flame was left burning and only the simmering skeletons of the buildings that had caught on fire remained. Luckily for Cauldron Bubbles, her shop was left untouched. However, many of the villagers were not as fortunate as she was. When the twins saw the shock and despair written all over the residents' faces, they knew they had to do something.

Skater asked Cauldron Bubbles, "Will the houses and stores get rebuilt?"

CB shook her head, "I don't know. There was an area of the forest reserved for lumber, but unfortunately, a rock avalanche blocked the entrance to the lumberyard and soon everyone abandoned the operation. They turned to outside sources for lumber and building material, though it may take a long time for any to get here."

Roller Blade then suggested, "Well, what if we find the lumberyard again and deliver wood from there?"

Cauldron said, "Yes, that would save a lot of time, and wood from outside is so expensive. I wish you the best of luck, then."

Blaze asked, "Are you sure your mom's map is accurate?"

Mischief said as he looked at it, "She said this was before the rock avalanche blocked the lumberyard off from the rest of the forest."

Skater asked, "Which was like, what, a few decades ago?"

Mischief pointed out, "I was there to see the lumberyard for myself, but it's been so long ago that I don't exactly remember." He then tripped on a stone and fell to the ground.

Roller Blade smirked, "But you might remember that."

Blaze said as he pointed to something, "And that."

The four of them looked up to see the massive boulders piled onto each other, barely fitting between the two trees that were supposed to mark the entrance to the lumberyard.

Skater gaped, "That is super high."

Mischief asked, "Roller, can you check to see if any of the wood piles survived the avalanche?"

Roller saluted, "Yes, sir!"

The Pegasus then shot up into the air and flew over the boulders. He was amazed to see that most of the lumberyard remained intact and only looked as if it was an island amidst a circle of rocks.

He shouted to the others, "Hey, guys! This is so cool! The rocks only circle around the lumberyard! They didn't bury it!"

The three other ponies shouted in surprise, "What?!"

Moments later, Skater flew up next to Roller and Mischief floated up after them, carrying Blaze with his magic.

Skater's eyes widened, "Whoa, you weren't kidding."

Blaze said, "It looks like there was a protection spell on the lumberyard that only activated in times of danger."

Mischief remarked, "Well, someone sure must've known what they were doing when they cast that spell. Come on. Let's see if we can find any planks of wood to carry back to Hollow Shades."

When everypony landed, they started searching for the storage shacks in which the wood piles would be kept. Roller opened a door and to his amazement, he found a huge stack of wood planks neatly placed on top of one another.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed.

Before he could run off to tell the others, he heard a strange voice calling, _"Roller…"_

He looked all around the storage shack for whoever called to him. **"** Who's there?"

Again, the voice called, _"Roller…"_

Roller Blade pawed his hoof and spread his wings as he said bravely, "I'm not scared of you! Show yourself!"

Just then, three ponies with dark-colored uniforms skidded out of the shadows. The pony in the middle said, "We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria."

Roller asked in confusion, "Who?"

"Why, you, of course."

Roller was absolutely stunned to hear that. "What?! Really?! You think I'm that good a flyer? Well, of course, Aunt Rainbow Dash is better than I am. My mom gushes about her often."

"No, Roller Blade. We want you to join us, the Shadowbolts. We're the greatest aerial team in Hollow Shades, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria, but first, we need a captain. The most dashing-"

"Yep."

"Strongest-"

"Yes."

"Bravest flyer in all the land."

Roller chuckled, "Yes, all true."

"We need..." She then whispered in his ear, "… _you_."

 **"** WHOO! Sign me up! Just let me get my friends real quick and then we have a deal."

Suddenly, the leader stopped in front of him and shouted, "No! It's _them_ or _us_." As Roller contemplated his choices, she asked again, "Well?"

Roller then answered, "You...Thank you. For the offer, I mean, but I'm afraid I have to break some hearts and say no."

He then exited the storage shack, leaving the angry Shadowbolts to disappear in the shadows.

Roller waved to the ponies, "Hey, guys! I found some wood!"

They ran over to him and cheered, "All right, Roller! Great job, buddy!"

Chrysalis stomped her hoof in frustration and growled, "Rarrgh! Let me see if I'm hearing you correctly. You stole the town's food, burned their houses, and even tried to convince a meddlesome prince to leave his friends! All. Without. SUCCESS!"

The captain explained, "They're too smart for their own good. They'll never let Flurry Heart set one hoof outside the house."

Chrysalis said as she looked out the window to see the moon, "Yes…And Nightmare Sky shall soon be free to wreak havoc. Flurry will try to find a way to rid her sister of the darkness. She must be disposed of before Nightmare Sky returns." Suddenly, it dawned on her. "Yes…Nightmare Sky…"

 ** _AN: Uh-oh. What dastardly plan has Chrysalis come up with now?_**

 ** _The song featured in this chapter is "Something There" from_** **Beauty and the Beast** ** _. My sister insisted that I add it in to build on the relationship between Blaze and Nova Rose._**

 ** _She has also made interesting Beauty-and-the-Beast comparisons to two of the couples in this story. She states that Blaze and Nova are like the couple personality-wise, while Flurry Heart and Mischief are like Beauty and the Beast in terms of appearance. Get it?_**

 ** _Oh, and I kind of spoofed Rainbow Dash's scene with the Shadowbolts when Roller finds the wood piles._**


	19. For the Sake of

"Thanks to Mischief, Blaze, and the twins, we had enough wood to reconstruct ten houses!" Cauldron finished explaining at the dinner table.

Roller rubbed his hoof against his chest and gloated, "Yep. I never leave my friends or anypony else hanging."

Skater said as she rubbed her chin, "Still, those Shadowbolts seem pretty sketchy. Why would they try to recruit you if you've never even heard of them?"

Her twin said, "I know…." He then smirked, "…but you're glad I didn't accept their offer, right?"

Cauldron praised, "That is true loyalty right there. You know, the only loyalty I ever see is when ponies are loyal to money. I mean, what kind of loyalty is that?"

Mischief cast an aside questioning glance that suggested that she was loyal to money as well.

Flurry smiled, "I'm glad Mischief and the others showed heroism today."

Cauldron agreed, "Yes. If they didn't help out with the fire and the wood, half of Hollow Shades would've burnt down to the ground and a ton of ponies would've been homeless for quite a while. Come to think of it, some _are_ homeless, but it's a few compared to how many others would've been, too."

Apple Butter asked, "But who would do such a thing?"

"Hollow Shades is a hiding place for crooks, fugitives, and others who want to escape their lots in life. Believe me, there's been arson before, but not as bad as this."

Flurry shamefully said, "I think it's because of me. Bad things are only happening in Hollow Shades because I'm here."

Nova said, "But it's not your fault. You didn't steal the food or start the fire."

Blaze agreed, "She's right. It means someone's after you."

"It can't possibly be Skyla, can it? She's stuck on the moon."

Flurry said as she looked out a window at the moon and the four stars now seemingly inches closer to it, "And she's going to be free very soon."

Mischief remembered that Flurry was a princess and everypony had to protect her. Even if he might never have a chance to be with her, the least he could do was keep her from harm.

He suggested, "I'll take a scouting party to search the forest and Hollow Shades for suspicious characters tomorrow. We'll look for any signs of trouble or danger before it comes to hurt Flurry."

Cauldron asked, "But who will be keeping Flurry company?" She was hoping against hope that Mischief might change his mind and stay with Flurry so their relationship can grow.

Her adopted son answered, "Blaze can."

Blaze was surprised to hear that. He didn't want to be separated from Nova again, not since they had something growing between them.

The unicorn then suggested, "Maybe I should go with you and Nova can stay behind."

Nova was offended and asked, "Why? You don't think I can handle myself out there?"

Before Blaze can say anything, Mischief explained, "I've seen how strong your magic is, Blaze. If anyone can protect Flurry from harm, it's you."

Mischief was about to leave the table when Flurry started, "Mischief…"

Their longing eyes met each other for a few moments. Flurry saw in his entrancing green eyes that something wasn't right. Mischief tried to resist her dazzling blue eyes so he wouldn't grow fonder of her, but he couldn't. When he looked at them, he felt like he was looking at a normal pony, not a princess. No. He had to remember that someone of her rank would never marry a lowly creature such as him.

Flurry then said, "I hope you'll be safe out there tomorrow."

Mischief tried to exude a confident air as he said, "Of course I'll be. I know that forest like the back of my hoof. Don't worry about me." When he climbed the stairs and was out of sight, his ears drooped and his head hung low as he thought, _Please, don't._

When Cauldron Bubbles was getting ready to leave for work the next morning, Mischief, the twins, Apple Butter, and Nova Rose began preparing for their extensive search around the forest and the town. No matter how much his heart ached, Mischief decided it was for the best to keep his distance from Flurry Heart so he would get used to not being with her. He couldn't be with her. He just couldn't.

Blaze wished he could take back the words he said at the dinner table last night. Everything went so well for him and Nova until he ruined it…again. Nova thought that Blaze had changed, that he was a better stallion. But no, she was wrong, like how she was wrong about her mother. Was there anypony who just showed their true colors and not mask it?

Flurry didn't understand why Mischief was acting the way he did. Maybe he was realizing the severity of Flurry's actions and decided not to be her friend anymore. Maybe he thought that she was nothing more than a wrecker of everything. Well, if that was the case, then she definitely wrecked her friendship and possibly her future with him.

As Cauldron and the scouting party left the house, Mischief dared to look behind him. There was Flurry, standing by a window with worry and sadness etched across her face. Mischief hated seeing her like that, but he couldn't betray his emotions.

He looked towards the forest and thought to himself, _You're just protecting the princess. You're just protecting the princess._

The scouting party then split up so the twins could search the west side of the forest, Nova and Apple Butter could search Hollow Shades, and Mischief could search the east side of the forest all by himself. After the ponies disappeared into the forest, Flurry sadly went back upstairs to her guest bedroom. Blaze just stood at the foot of the stairs before he went to find a book to occupy himself with. When he found a fairy tale book on the table, he opened it to an illustration of a noble knight protecting his lady fair from a ferocious dragon. He wanted that kind of thing for him and Nova, but he knew it would never happen. His happiness was gone because Nova took it with her. He just wanted to lock himself up in his bedroom tower and never come out.

He sang sadly, _"I was the one who had it all…I was the master of my fate…I never needed anybody in my life…I learned the truth too late…"_

Meanwhile, Mischief sat at the edge of the pond where he and Flurry had their wonderful evening. He couldn't help but be saddened that he'll never have more with her than he had now. He sang, _"I'll never shake away the pain…I close my eyes, but she's still there…"_ Just like that, an apparition of Flurry appeared at the opposite edge of the pond. She floated over the water as he sang, _"I let her steal into my melancholy heart…"_ The apparition then streamed into his heart via a wisp of whitish air. He sang as he held his heart, _"It's more than I can bear…"_

In their separate places, both colts sang, _"Now I know she'll never leave me…even when she's far away…"_

Blaze sang, _"She will still torment me…"_

Mischief sang, _"Calm me…"_

 _"_ _Hurt me…"_

 _"_ _Move me…"_

They both sang, _"Come what may…"_

Blaze sang, _"Wasting in my lonely tower…"_

Mischief sang, _"Waiting by an open door…"_

They both sang in their separate places, _"I'll fool myself she'll walk right in…and be with me for evermore…"_

Mischief stomped his hoof as he sang, _"I rage against the trials of love…"_

Blaze sang as he shook his hoof at the sky outside the window, _"I curse the fading of the light…"_

 _"_ _Though she's already flown so far beyond her home…"_

 _"_ _She's never out of sight…"_

They both sang, _"Now I know she'll never leave me…even as she'll fade from view…She will still inspire me…be a part of everything I do…"_

Blaze sang, _"Wasting in my lonely tower…"_

Mischief sang, _"Waiting by an open door…"_

They both finished in their separate places, _"I'll fool myself she'll walk right in…And as the long, long nights begin…I'll think of all that might have been…waiting here for evermore…"_

Nighttime soon came and the blemished moon rose with the stars so precariously close to it. Flurry closed the curtains in her room for two reasons: she didn't want to be reminded of her misery, and Nightmare Sky wouldn't find her here. Besides, Mischief would want her to be safe. But what about him? What if he somehow got captured and couldn't get help? She fought against her will to keep the curtains closed and opened them again anyway. That's when she saw a cloaked pony weakly emerging from the forest.

Downstairs, Blaze heard a frail voice calling out, "Help. I'm in need of help."

He rushed outside to find an olden pony barely walking to the house. She was wearing a worn-out cloak and four rusty horseshoes on her hooves.

Blaze asked in concern, "Are you okay?"

She panted as she fell onto the ground, "The town…The town…is in serious danger. Please…help them…"

Blaze gasped, "Nova!" He rushed right into the forest without another word.

Just then, Flurry came out of the house and asked the olden pony, "Are you all right? Where's Blaze?"

The wrinkled mare said, "Your friend? He went to get help. Er, would you mind taking off my rusty horseshoes? I'm so tired from walking in them all the way here."

"Oh, sure."

After Flurry took off the metal horseshoes, the olden pony sighed in relief, "Thank you, kind filly. And because you've been so good to poor old Granny, I'll share a secret with you." She reached into her cloak and pulled out a basket of apples. "These are no ordinary apples. These are magic wishing apples."

Flurry asked, "Wishing apples?"

"Yes. One bite and all your dreams will come true."

"Really?"

"Yes, filly. Now, make a wish and take a bite." When Flurry seemed hesitant, the olden pony enticed, "Surely there must be something your little heart desires. Perhaps there's someone you love."

That got Flurry thinking. There was Mischief, but she didn't want her wish to make him love her. Her mother taught her that love was only real if two ponies cared about each other. If Flurry wished that Mischief would love her, it wouldn't be real love at all. Then, there was Skyla. Oh, how she desperately wanted her sister to be loving and not evil again. What if the antidote didn't work? Perhaps this way, she can wish for Skyla to return to normal so they could mend their bond.

Flurry said, "Well, there is someone."

The olden pony chortled, "I thought so. I thought so! Heh-heh! Old Granny knows a filly's heart. Now, take the apple, dearie, and make a wish."

When Flurry took the apple, she asked, "Is it okay if I just whisper my wish?"

The old mare smiled, "Whatever you want, whatever you want! Just make your wish."

Meanwhile, Blaze panted as he approached Hollow Shades. He saw all of the ponies in the scouting party near Cauldron Bubbles' shop and ran up to them.

He exclaimed, "Guys! Is everything okay?"

Nova asked in confusion, "Blaze? What are you doing here?"

Mischief asked in rising anger, "And why aren't you with Flurry?"

Blaze panted, "I heard…there was trouble in…Hollow Shades…An olden pony…told me so."

Apple Butter shook her head, "There's no trouble in Hollow Shades."

Blaze breathed with wide eyes, "But that means…"

Mischief looked shocked as well, "It was a trick. Flurry's in danger!"

He was the first to dash off towards the forest and Cauldron and the others followed suit. They raced through the woods like there was no tomorrow, hoping it wasn't too late. Suddenly, they heard an unfamiliar sound echoing through the trees. It sounded like…cackling. By the time they reached the other side of the forest, they gasped and skidded to a stop. An old cloaked mare cackled madly in triumph as Flurry lied on the ground with a bitten apple next to her.

 ** _AN: The song in this chapter is an altered version of "Evermore" from_** **Beauty and the Beast (2017)** ** _. I was originally going to have Mischief sing "When Words Fail" from_** **Shrek the Musical** ** _, but when the song "Evermore" was brought to my attention, I knew that was going to be the song he would sing. When my sister and I heard the song in our local movie theater, she decided to have Blaze sing with Mischief on this. I have to admit, the song worked out very well when it was those two singing and not just Mischief. Good call, CN12! Good call!_**

 ** _I know you're anxiously awaiting the next chapter, but I promise it will come out sooner than you think. I've decided to complete the story by April 15_** ** _th_** ** _, when the new season starts, so expect the rest of the story to come out by then._**


	20. Make Your Move

"Flurry!" Mischief cried in horror at seeing her still body. Then, as if someone flipped a switch in his brain, his eyes became aflame with fury and he growled at the olden pony, "What did you do to her?!"

The old mare said in mock innocence, "I only gave her the apple. She did the rest."

Blaze bellowed as his horn gave off a bright green light, "You tricked me into leaving Flurry, you old witch!" He tried to shoot a ray of magic at the olden pony, but all he could conjure up was a tiny ball of green light that fell to the ground a few inches in front of him. He breathed, "No…"

The olden pony chuckled menacingly and then said, "It's about time you lost your magical powers. Too bad you're not prepared for our guest of honor." She pointed up at the sky as she said that.

The other ponies then looked up and saw the stars being absorbed into the moon. When all four stars disappeared, the pony silhouette vanished. The ponies gasped at that.

Blaze breathed, "Nightmare Sky."

Roller Blade frowned, "And I thought this couldn't get any worse."

Suddenly, black smoke rose up from the ground.

Nova whispered, "Oh, no."

The smoke then gave way to Nightmare Sky and her Moonshadow army. The ponies were unsettled by the way the new type of Umbrum looked.

Skater muttered to her friends, "Dude, they are beyond ugly."

Nightmare Sky then purred, "Oh, my beloved cousins. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little faces. I'm saddened that you would join such a black-hearted monster like my sister." She looked down at the comatose Flurry.

Mischief shot out, "She's not the black-hearted monster! You are!"

The dark alicorn scowled before her face softened into a malicious smile. "And I assume you must be the antlered freak my sister seduced to her side. Has her wicked wiles led you to believe that she is all she seems?"

"You're the one who's wicked, not her!"

The olden pony said with a small smile, "'Wicked'?" She then chuckled, "Poor, deluded fool. If anyone is wicked, it's me."

A voice then said, "At least we won't have to coax a confession from you now."

The group turned to see Thorax descending from the sky and landing onto the field.

Nova Rose exclaimed, "King Thorax!"

The olden pony's one open eye momentarily flickered green as she seethed with hatred. She shouted, "Thorax! I have been waiting for you."

Uncertain by what she meant, Thorax said, "I'm not sure I've made your acquaintance."

"I am surprised you could not recognize me so easily after you took my kingdom and then stole my army from me."

In a sudden green flash, the olden pony disappeared and Chrysalis stood in her place.

Filled with shock, Thorax breathed, "It's you."

Chrysalis continued, "You may have not recognized me, but I will always recognize you. You cannot imagine the depths I would go to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you!"

Thorax's antlers and horn lit up in a bluish aura as he said with determination, "Maybe, but you were defeated before, and you will be defeated again."

Chrysalis chuckled before she sneered at him, "Don't be so certain."

She shot her brilliant green magic at Thorax, but he conjured up a force field to deflect the ray. As Chrysalis kept shooting her magic at the force field, Nightmare Sky joined in and her red magic made it slightly harder for Thorax to maintain his protection spell.

When he started to sweat under the pressure, Chrysalis taunted, "What's the matter, Thorax? Too weak to stand on your own against your very creator?" She then ordered her changelings, "Ambush him!"

Thorax didn't have enough energy to repel the changelings closing in on him, so he kept focusing his magic on the force field.

When one of the changelings lunged at the king, Mischief cried, "Your Highness!"

Suddenly, the antlered colt blasted his magic at the changelings about to ambush Thorax.

Thorax exclaimed, "Please be careful! They're my siblings!"

Skater remarked, "They're hardly sibling material."

Blaze ordered, "Everyone, get inside the force field! I have an idea!"

Thorax manipulated his magic so the other good ponies could pass through the force field.

Blaze then said, "Mischief, Thorax, listen to me. On the count of three, combine your force field spells. One, two, three!"

At "three", Mischief activated his antlers and Thorax concentrated on his spell. In mere moments, the force field became teal and grew large enough to give the group inside some breathing room. Luckily, the barrier washed over Flurry Heart and kept the villains outside.

Thorax saw the unconscious princess and gasped, "Flurry!" He and Mischief ran over to her as the king asked in worry, "What happened to her?"

Chrysalis chuckled on the other side of the barrier, "I believe I can give an explanation. You see, the forest of Hollow Shades is known for its poisonous plants. I simply plucked several apples from an apple tree and disguised myself as a harmless old peddler mare. I lured Flurry out here and told her that I had some wishing apples in my possession. Naturally, she took one and bit into it!" She cackled before she continued, "Really, it couldn't have gone more perfectly, because in less than an hour now…" She then hissed wickedly, "…she'll be dead."

Nightmare Sky's heart wrenched when Chrysalis mentioned her sister would be dead.

Cauldron Bubbles then confidently said, "Except for one small caveat. The effects of the poison will only reverse when the victim is given true love's kiss."

Mischief couldn't believe it. This might be his chance to know for certain – But why was he so hesitant? He really wanted to give Flurry a kiss, but he couldn't stand it if she didn't wake. Maybe Thorax was her true love. After all, he was a king.

He implored Thorax, "Please, Your Majesty. You have to kiss her. You may be her only hope."

Cauldron's heart dropped from hearing her son say that. Why wouldn't he kiss her? Why would he throw away his one chance to save her?

Thorax nodded, "All right."

He stooped low to the ground and kissed Flurry on the cheek. He stood up again and waited to see if anything would happen. Seconds turned into a minute and still Flurry wouldn't wake up. Thorax closed his eyes in sorrow and the others were becoming despaired.

Mischief's own heart broke as he tearfully said to Cauldron, "Mom, you said that true love's kiss could heal Flurry!"

Thorax opened his eyes again and said calmly, "True love can also mean that you care about somepony's well-being. I don't think that's the case this time."

Cauldron sadly nodded, "It's true. The kiss has to come from the victim's true love, the one they're meant to be with."

Mischief turned away and dug his face into his arm to quiet his crying. He thought, _Then it's hopeless._

Just then, Thorax felt the deep love Mischief had in his heart and wondered if…The king touched his shoulder and the antlered colt faced him with a tear or two running down his cheeks.

Thorax said softly, "I think you should kiss Flurry."

Mischief asked with a choked-up voice, "But…why me? Why should I do it?" Steady streams of tears gushed from his eyes as he continued, "I don't know if I'd be good enough for her."

The Changeling King gave a comforting smile, "Look, if all you want is to see her awake and smiling again, then you should at least try. I can feel the love within you and it's strong, probably strong enough to rid Flurry of the poison. If you don't try, you'll feel guilty for not helping when you could've. Please, Mischief. I believe in you."

Mischief gave it some thought for a moment before deciding to push aside his fears and try to wake Flurry. If he couldn't, well, at least he did all he could.

He slowly bent down and whispered in Flurry's ear, "Please wake up."

With tepid hope in his heart, he kissed Flurry on the cheek. Such a sweet sensation this kiss was, even though the one receiving it was unconscious. He stood back up and anxiously waited for a sign that it worked. Suddenly, Flurry's eyes flew open as she gasped for breath.

What joy Mischief felt at that happy moment! He really was the one for her! They were meant to be together! He grabbed her in his arms and held her in a tight embrace.

Flurry, however, was confused and asked, "What happened?"

Mischief answered with a smile, "Just be glad you're okay."

Nightmare Sky was filled with rage and her horn furiously lit up with red magic. She then shouted, "NOOOOOOO!"

The moment she began shouting that, her horn sent her magic out in large shockwaves. The pressure was so great that the force field collapsed by the time Nightmare Sky stopped shouting. She growled as she charged at Flurry Heart, but the younger alicorn stood her ground and activated her magic in preparation for attack. When Nightmare Sky stopped in front of her, Flurry could feel her angered puffs of breath on her face.

She looked her sister in the eye and sternly told her, "I'm the one you want, not the others. You can harm me, but I will never let you hurt them."

Mischief, Thorax, Blaze, and Nova then stood by Flurry as the antlered colt added, "And you'll have to get through us first."

Nightmare Sky grunted in frustration.

Chrysalis, however, remained calm and said, "It seems we are at an impasse."

Cauldron Bubbles then stepped forward and silkily suggested, "Might I offer a solution? We play a game of chess, but with ponies. And creatures like you. But wait a minute. I see you outnumber us, so let's even the score, shall we? My eight ponies with your eight minions. We shall have to shrink the chessboard to eight rows and four columns."

Nightmare Sky interrupted, "Hold it! If Flurry Heart and Thorax are playing, then Chrysalis and I will be on the board with our minions."

Cauldron shrugged with a smile, "Very well."

Mischief used his remaining magic to create a large chessboard and a two-sided screen hovering above to keep track of the game itself. Nightmare Sky and Thorax were playing as kings, Chrysalis and Flurry were the queens, Mischief and Apple Butter were the knights, and the pawns were the Marendelle twins, Blaze, and Nova Rose. Flurry looked at Thorax and realized the bubbly sensation she had for him was almost nonexistent. Did she not feel the same way towards him anymore because of her close friendship with Mischief?

Flurry then asked Thorax, "So how did you find us?"

The king answered, "Well, at first, I just stayed in my kingdom and protected it and my subjects from harm. But as soon as the force field began to show signs of dying, I went to look for help. I saw how much of Equestria was in devastation, but I never imagined that much."

The alicorn hung her head and hoped he didn't know that she was the cause of it.

Thorax continued, "I was flying around when I felt a coldness. I knew it was Chrysalis, so I came here to defend anypony she might've been threatening. You would've probably known the rest, but you bit a poison apple that made you unconscious until Mischief gave you true love's kiss."

Flurry blushed, "He…did?"

Thorax then gave her an affirmative nod. The knowing glance in his eyes would've made Flurry's heart melt, but she now saw that her heart truly belonged to Mischief. She looked to Mischief and saw him uneasily looking to the side. She knew that he was worried about any chemistry between his true love and Thorax. Even after she woke from true love's kiss, she understood that he had some insecurities, as she did. She made a mental note to herself to keep from mentioning her former crush on Thorax because that would've just made things awkward. When Flurry touched Mischief's hoof, he turned to face her.

Flurry said with a comforting smile, "Just so you know, you'll always be my knight in shining armor."

Mischief smiled and blushed at that.

In the pawn line, Nova whispered, "What do you think is going to happen when someone bests an opponent?"

Blaze asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You know, capturing a chess piece or something like that."

Roller Blade said, "Let's find out." He then announced, "Pawn to C4!" He walked two squares towards the villainous players.

Chrysalis then ordered one of her changeling pawns, "You pawn! B6!"

When the changeling stepped on that square, Roller braced himself as he got onto the square diagonal of the creature. The changeling smiled maliciously and began to turn away from Roller. At mid-turn, the insect pony disappeared in a green flash and became a hulking stallion. With his rear to the prince, he bucked Roller off the chessboard.

After Roller landed with his back to the ground, he groaned, "Ooh…I think you'll definitely tell when you're out of the game."

Thus, the game truly began. Chrysalis and Nightmare Sky would make their minions' moves for them while the heroes made their own moves. Players on both sides made quick work of their opponents. At one point, Skater punched a changeling while saying, "This one's for my brother!" Soon, it was just a few players left. Some of them included Nova Rose on A2, Flurry on A4, Mischief on B5, Blaze on D2, and Nightmare Sky on D7.

Blaze moved to C2 to protect Thorax, who was stationed on C1. However, Chrysalis simply threw him aside with her magic so she was face-to-face with the king.

She smiled maliciously, "You're next."

Thorax gulped and stood there in fright.

Flurry asked Mischief, "It's our move. Why isn't he taking her out?"

Mischief explained, "She said she created him. Would you want to harm the one who gave you life?"

"No. Not really."

"Listen, I have an idea. I'll make my move so I'll be close to checkmating Skyla and use my magic to challenge Chrysalis the changeling way. She'll come and attack me, leaving you to checkmate your sister."

Flurry said with worried eyes, "Mischief, do you realize how dangerous that is? From what I've heard about Chrysalis, she's not to be messed with." She held his hoof as she asked, "Please, isn't there another way?"

Sharpness underlined his tone, "Look, do you want to save Skyla or not?" He explained more calmly, "Flurry, it has to be you who goes on. Not me, not Nova Rose. You."

Flurry then sighed in reluctance as she let go of his hoof.

Mischief knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it could be worth the effort if all went according to plan. He announced, "Knight to C7." He moved two squares forward and then one square to his right until he was standing next to Nightmare Sky. He said, "Check." He then turned to face Chrysalis and concentrated the last of his magic on his back. To everyone's surprise, a white flash appeared and changeling wings sprouted on his back. He took a deep breath and thought, _Monster-pedia, don't fail me now._

His false wings then began to beat in rhythm. _Bzz…bzz-bzz-bzzz…bzz-bzz…bz-bzz…bzz…bzzz…_

Thorax asked in confusion, "Why does he want a challenge in a middle of a game?"

Chrysalis slit her eyes, "He doesn't…" She then smiled evilly, "…but I'll amuse him." She left her spot at C2 and walked all the way up to C6 so she and Mischief could be face-to-face. "You just gave yourself away…half-blood."

Mischief was so shocked that his changeling wings disappeared in another white flash and he felt his magic completely shut down within him.

Chrysalis grinned maliciously, "I thought so. You are the son of those two powerful races, who were then wiped out in the blizzard that you had caused!"

She had spoken loudly enough for everypony to hear what she said. Cauldron Bubbles – who was watching from the sidelines – and Flurry were stunned that Chrysalis figured it out. The rest of the ponies were shocked to learn that Mischief was the same pony Snow Pea had mentioned in her account of her first visit to the cosmos. Mischief, however, became afraid that Flurry's family and friends would now hate him for what happened in his past.

Chrysalis sensed his fear and smiled wickedly, "Oh, don't worry. Whatever punishment the royal family would have in mind for you, I've got a better one." Her horn then lit up in a brilliant green aura.

Flurry and the others watched in shock as the former changeling queen blasted Mischief off the board. He gave a yell before he tumbled onto the grass with smoking burn marks covering most of his body.

The young alicorn shrieked, "Mischief!"

She was about to set one hoof off her square until Thorax shouted, "Wait, Flurry! We're still playing!" He then reminded her more calmly, "And it's our turn."

She realized that without Mischief on B5, she could see that there were exactly two diagonal squares between her and her sister. Chrysalis had just taken Mischief's spot on the board, giving Flurry the opportunity to walk across the diagonal squares and checkmate Nightmare Sky. After she mustered the courage for whatever may happen, Flurry began to cross the diagonal squares until she was on C6, the very square that was diagonal from her corrupted sister.

When it seemed like Flurry was doing nothing, Chrysalis asked, "Is that the end of your play?"

"I'm not finished," the young princess replied with determination on her face and in her voice. She used her magic to pull out a flask from within one of her folded wings and uncork it. "Checkmate."

She then splashed the cured spring water onto Nightmare Sky. In a myriad of sparkles and smoke, the dark alicorn fell onto the board. As the smoke and sparkles died down, a smile of relief curved on Flurry's face. When her sister opened her slit red eyes, they widened back to blue irises and round pupils. Skyla was finally herself again, save for the armor she wore as Nightmare Sky.

She groaned as she touched her aching head, "What in the world hit me…?" She then let out a big gasp as memories of being evil came flooding back. She let out a giant sob, "WHAT HAVE I DONE?! My sister! My family! How could I have been so cruel?! Forgive me!" Tears streamed down her distressed eyes as she hung her head in shame.

The cousins were taken aback by this sudden mood whiplash. Thorax was stunned that the dark alicorn had been Skyla all along. Mischief, who was recovering from Chrysalis' blow, was surprised by the attitude Skyla was now displaying.

Flurry only shushed as she took off her sister's armor, "Shh…It's okay now, Skyla. You're back and that's all that matters." When she took off Skyla's helmet, ragged curls of her sister's mane spilled out. Flurry then smiled sweetly at Skyla, "That's all I ever wanted."

"My little sister…I have been so blind…I thought you were the evil one…but seeing you…on the ground like that…and almost being dead…" Tears spilled again as she blubbered out, "I was so heartless…"

Chrysalis then chuckled menacingly, "Dear, if anyone is heartless, it's me."

Flurry scowled, "Don't think you'll get away with this, Chrysalis!"

"But my dear…" She then cast a chilling evil glance, "…I already have."

 ** _AN: Name the references!_**

 ** _CartoonNerd12 also helped write the part when Skyla is cured of the dark water. She did Skyla's lines and also the part that begins with "She groaned…" and ends with "…Forgive me!""._**

 ** _And yes, Skyla's bat wings are gone._**


	21. Restoration

Flurry asked while she held on to some of her courage, "What do you mean?"

Chrysalis chuckled wickedly, "Why, princess, isn't it obvious? With Nightmare Sky reverted back to pathetic and helpless Skyla, I now have control over the Moonshadow army!"

Skyla said, "But I don't understand. Why were you so willing to ally with me if I was just another obstacle in your quest for power?"

"Do you think the Moonshadows could've gotten down from the moon even if they so wished? They could not, so they found a way to communicate with me and we made a deal. They would make sure I returned to power if I provided them with a way to free them. Naturally, the Moonshadows had caught wind of the zebra prophecy foretelling their escape. The only way they could get free was if someone became trapped on the moon with them and set the prophecy in motion." She then cast an evil smirk, "Guess who it was?"

The sisters were dumbfounded by this development until Skyla spoke, "But Zesty…She was the one who sent me on the path of evil. She told me to go to the spring to make myself pure so I could defeat Flurry Heart before she became…" Then, it dawned on her. "Wait a minute. She was never going to become evil. What I saw in the secret passageway was no vision!"

Chrysalis chuckled maliciously, "How correct you are, princess. It was a door that led you to your worst fears. It was only a legend until you opened the secret passageway with dark magic."

"Wait, how did you…?"

"Because…" She disappeared in a green flash and reappeared as Zesty Gourmand, now sporting an evil smile. "…I was there."

Skyla and Flurry were shocked to learn that Chrysalis was practically right under their noses during the Crystal Gala.

"Zesty" continued, "It was tempting to just suck the love of everypony at the Gala, but then…I found something much more rewarding…" She pointed at Skyla, "…you. If you had never rushed out of the ballroom, I never would have believed you were the perfect patsy to set the Moonshadows free. All I had to do was cultivate your hatred and lead you to the spring the Moonshadows had corrupted. You were so blinded by your little quest to stop your sister that you couldn't see the truth…" Her horn glowed and conjured up another green flash. Chrysalis then reappeared in her normal form and finished, "…right in front of your face!"

Skyla's heart ached at the revelation and she just sat there in silence.

Flurry asked, "But if you were trying to use Skyla just so you can command the Moonshadows, then why try to kill me?"

Chrysalis answered with a sneer, "Because you're just like the rest of your family, all goody-goody and meddlesome. I knew you would be searching for a cure to your sister's darkness, so naturally, you had to be stopped. If you had given her the cure before your little army lost their powers, you would've actually had a chance to defeat me." She then said with a malicious grin, "But now that your friends, even that freak of nature, have lost their magic, it's only a matter of time before you lose yours. But…I won't take any chances." She ordered the Moonshadow on D6, "Eliminate her!"

The shadowy creature's eyes glowed and shot beams of light toward Flurry Heart.

Skyla jumped in front of her sister as she shouted, "No!" In a white flash, Skyla became a stone statue.

Flurry gasped, "Skyla!"

Before the Moonshadow could strike again, a turquoise ray of magic blasted at him. Flurry looked to see Thorax, panting as the magic on his antlers and horn faded away.

Chrysalis smiled wickedly, "It looks like you're next."

The Moonshadow who had been hit by Thorax's magic shot his eye beams at the changeling king. Within seconds, Thorax became a stone statue as well.

Chrysalis said, "See, princess? You cannot win no matter what you –"

She paused when she saw that Flurry was no longer on C6. Suddenly, she heard a sneeze and Flurry appeared on B5 in a yellow flash of light. When she saw Chrysalis, she ran towards the edge of the chessboard where Thorax's statue was.

Chrysalis growled before activating her horn and shouting, "You can't escape this time, young Flurry Heart!"

The changeling shot a powerful ray of magic that landed just behind Flurry. The force of the blow caused the alicorn to fly through the air. She gave a yell just before she landed roughly on the ground.

Mischief cried as he ran to her, "Flurry!" When Chrysalis stepped towards the two, he put himself in front of Flurry to shield her and growled at the changeling, "Stay away from her, you beast!"

Chrysalis scoffed, "Oh, please. What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have magic and you – have – nothing!"

Just then, the Marendelle twins, Blaze, Nova Rose, and Apple Butter came up to Mischief and Flurry.

They looked defiantly at Chrysalis as Roller Blade stated, "They have us!"

Flurry smiled in reassurance and a sparkle gleamed in her eyes for only a moment.

Chrysalis said in a tone almost devoid of emotion, "So…the ponies who fight together stay together. Honestly, I'm getting tired of this little resistance." Her horn glowed brightly with her magic as she said in rising anger, "Well, I'll make sure I deal with this annoyance PERMANENTLY!" She shot a giant ball of green light at the ponies and they held onto each other before the magic hit them. Chrysalis maniacally laughed until the smoke cleared. Her expression immediately changed from one of triumph to one of pure shock. "WHAT?!"

When the ponies opened their eyes, they were surprised to see that they were still alive, albeit enveloped in a grayish pink aura and with their manes and tails flapping. Flurry's mane and tail were the most noticeable because they stood up as they flapped in a fashion similar to her grandmother's mane and tail. Although the others were confused by this, Flurry immediately knew what it was and what it meant.

She said to Chrysalis confidently, "You think the Gem of Harmony can be destroyed just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of the Elements of the Harmony are right here!"

Suddenly, crystalline shards flew out of Skater's bag in the house and zipped through the air before they hovered over the ponies.

Chrysalis breathed, "What?"

Flurry said, "Skater, who tells the truth when others can't, represents the spirit of Honesty!"

As if on cue, some of the crystal shards glowed orange as they formed part of a circle's curve.

"Nova Rose, who always has compassion to share, represents the spirit of Kindness!"

Some of the other shards glowed pink as it joined with the orange shards.

"Apple Butter, who comforts others with a bit of humor, represents the spirit of Laughter!"

The blue shards quickly joined with the combined ones.

"Blaze, who wants to give something to those in need, represents the spirit of Generosity!"

Purple shards took their place alongside the semi-complete Gem.

"Mischief, who understands exactly what someone is going through, represents the spirit of Empathy!"

Reddish-orange shards then lined up with the crystals in the almost-circular row.

"And Roller Blade, who could not abandon his friends for his own heart's desire, represents the spirit of Loyalty!"

Red crystals landed next to the Empathy shards, thereby almost completing the Gem of Harmony.

"The spirits of these six ponies got us through every challenge that was thrown at us."

Chrysalis sputtered, "But the Gem is incomplete!" She then said with a shaky smile, "You're still doomed!"

Flurry shook her head firmly, "No, because there's a spark that creates the seventh element of Magic and unites the Elements into a single gem." She faced her friends and family as she said with a smile, "And I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you…" She turned to Mischief and continued, "…how much I cared about you."

Mischief blushed at that.

"The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all…" She turned to Chrysalis and said confidently, "…are my friends!"

Just like that, the last remaining shards reunited with its kin and the Gem glowed as a sign that it was repaired. Chrysalis closed her eyes and put her hoof in front of them to shield her vision from the bright glow.

Flurry explained, "You see, Chrysalis, when those Elements are ignited by the…the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it unites the Elements together into the Gem of Harmony!"

All seven ponies rose into the air with the Gem of Harmony just above them. When they were half a mile above the house, the Gem shot out a circular wave of rainbow light that washed over everything as it grew.

Chrysalis shouted in horror, "NOOOO!"

The ripple-like wave expanded from Hollow Shades to the very edges of Equestria, restoring everything to the way it was before. It even freed the members of the royal families from their gooey cocoons. Back at Hollow Shades, Skyla – who was free from her stone prison – looked upon the seven unconscious ponies on the ground.

She trotted to her sister and nudged her, asking softly, "Flurry Heart?"

Luckily, Flurry opened her eyes and saw her sister looking down upon her. She didn't waste a single moment hugging Skyla tightly.

Blaze woke up and saw the Gem of Harmony. "Look, guys! It's fixed!

Nova saw something else and pointed to it in amazement, "Forget that. Look."

When the others saw what she saw, they let out gasps of amazement. The changelings that were under Chrysalis' control were now colorful and confused. However, Chrysalis and the Moonshadows were nowhere to be seen.

Thorax, also free from being stone, was overjoyed by the changelings' transformation and walked up to them. He said, "Hi, there. I'm Thorax, a changeling just like you. Would you like to come live in my kingdom? You can live a better life than what Chrysalis wanted you to live. You can be kind to each other and share love so you don't get hungry. What do you say?"

The changelings exchanged glances with one another before they all hugged Thorax.

He chuckled, "I knew the answer was 'yes'."

Roller Blade asked, "Hey, guys? Where's Chrysalis?" He then gave a yell as he fell to the ground.

The other ponies looked at where Roller had tripped and some gave a snicker.

Skater joked, "Guess she was buggy enough to become an actual bug."

Thorax clarified as he came up to them, "I don't think she's a bug. She looks more like a pupa." He used his restored magic to pick up a seething and wriggling Chrysalis, who was in pupa form.

Nova Rose commented, "She looks kind of cute this way."

Cauldron suggested, "Maybe I'll put her on display in my magic shop."

Thorax shook his head, "She's too dangerous even in pupa form to be kept in your shop. I'll bring her back to my kingdom and imprison her there."

" _My_ kingdom! _My_ kingdom!" Chrysalis' squeaky voice screeched in retaliation.

Mischief asked as he held up the jagged piece of rock that once hung from Chrysalis' neck, "So what are we going to do with this?"

Thorax held it with his magic and said, "It's very powerful magic, but it can be useful. I'll only activate it in times of danger so nothing can harm us."

Skyla said uneasily, "I don't know, Thorax. I think it should be destroyed."

"Maybe, but I think other ponies can benefit from this kind of magic because they'll be protected. Look, if it gets too dangerous, I'll destroy it, okay?"

Skyla said to him, "If that's what you want…" She then sighed and faced her sister, "I'm so sorry that I let my paranoia get the better of me…I am unfit for the Crystal Throne and that is why you should be queen instead of me…"

Flurry looked at her in shock and breathed, "Oh, Skyla, I…I can't. You've always been the heir and you always will be."

"But the crystal ponies love you. Look at everything I have done since I turned on you and Equestria…" She hung her head shamefully as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I am unworthy."

Her sister shook her head, "No, Skyla, no. I won't take the Crystal Throne. It's never what I wanted. It was never my destiny. It was always yours. I don't have my cutie mark yet, but I know that I could never be queen knowing I robbed my sister of her birthright."

"Forget birthrights!"

"You'll be the better ruler than I could ever be!"

Blaze said, "Well, somebody's got to be ruler of the Crystal Empire!"

Cauldron raised her hoof, "I'll do it!"

Mischief scolded her, "Mom, not helping."

Flurry calmed down and said, "Look, I don't want to replace you as queen. You're already queenly material and know every protocol, rule, and type of etiquette. You can do all that with grace and charm. I can't. I'm better at being a princess trying to find her own destiny, whether I'm cutie-markless for a few days or many years. I want to find the one thing that will make me me."

Blaze asked, "But isn't that your powerful magic?"

"It's only one part of me, not who I am entirely. I want to explore the world in hopes of finding what I'm meant to do and…" It slowly dawned on her. "I already have." A smile then began to spread across her face, "And I think I know what I want to do. I think I know who I am!

"My parents taught me a great deal about love, but I only knew of two kinds until now. All my life, I had love for my family and I saw my parents be madly in love with each other. I wanted to be in love, too, and I thought…" She paused, for she was about to bring up her former crush on Thorax, but then decided not to even mention it. "…I would have that chance one day, and I have."

She smiled as she faced her true love, "Mischief taught me what romantic love is like – trusting, understanding, and protective. He was willing to risk his life just for me. You all did. Skyla, you turned to stone because you took the blow for me. And you all –" She gestured to her cousins and friends. "- you willingly stayed by my side even as Chrysalis tried to destroy us." She then spoke to everyone around her, "I am now inspired to do the same for everyone in Equestria. I want to show them what love is and encourage them to do the same."

Nova Rose asked, "But doesn't your mother spread love, too?"

"Yes, she does, but the kind of love I want to spread is the selfless kind of love that ponies have when they risk their lives for somepony else. I want to protect others out of that kind of love in times of danger and teach ponies to help others when they need it, too. As a princess, I will travel the world and spread that kind of love around!"

Suddenly, Flurry was surrounded by a bright light and lifted into the air. The others closed their eyes to protect their vision. When Flurry got back on the ground, her friends and family gasped in wonder.

The alicorn asked, "What is it?"

Skyla breathed as an amazed smile spread across her face, "Look behind you…"

Flurry looked behind her and let out a huge gasp. On her flank was a pink heart flanked by blue wings. It was her cutie mark!

She shouted for joy, "My cutie mark! I got a cutie mark!" She then flew up as she laughed, "I got my cutie mark! Ha-ha-ha!"

When she got back on the ground, Skyla hugged her as Mischief told Flurry, "Hey, congrats. I never even noticed you were a blank flank." When Flurry gave him a mock dubious look, he corrected, "Okay, I did notice, but I wasn't going to bring it up."

Blaze cleared his throat, "Say, um, you wouldn't want to throw some love my way, would you?" He gave a sheepish grin.

Flurry chuckled, "Go get her, tiger."

He slowly walked up to Nova and asked timidly, "Um, Nova?"

Nova asked, "Yeah?"

"So, umm…I, umm…You, uhh…"

Mischief face-hoofed as he muttered, "He's killing the moment."

Nova asked with a raised brow, "Blaze, is there something you want to tell me?"

Blaze got tongue-tied as he sputtered, "Um, uh, um, uh…"

Skyla slapped her face and exclaimed, "Oh, for goodness sakes! Blaze has a crush on you and you have a crush on him and don't you dare deny it!"

Flurry had a stunned expression on her face from her sister blurting out that sort of thing.

Blaze shouted to Skyla with a flushing face, "Skyla!"

Nova felt herself blushing and asked almost hopefully, "You…you do? You really do?"

Blaze sighed and nodded, "Yes. I'm not so good with sharing my feelings and, well, things tend to come out wrong. Look, I've been generous with everything but my own heart. I never thought you'd forgive me after the way I treated you after we found out the truth about our mothers. Then I thought we had something good going, but when you got mad at me, I thought that was it. That was the end. I ruined our friendship like I did on the train to Ponyville and our stay at the Everfree Castle.

"Even when I got to know you better, I didn't have the courage to speak my heart in front of you. I'm not a prince at all. I'm just a beastly pony who only ruins things for other ponies." He hung his head in shame.

Nova couldn't resist feeling pity for him when she saw his ears droop to the sides of his face. If this was the real him and not a façade, she had to know for sure.

"Blaze…"

His heart jumped when she said his name and he looked up at her.

"Before Skyla turned evil, I…just thought you were as you seemed, all beastly and rude to me, and the way you acted around others was just an act. But then I learned that my mother kidnapped yours and you weren't really all that bad." She then sighed, "Still, what you said at dinner last night really hurt me. It was like you wanted me to stay behind because I wasn't capable enough."

Blaze clarified with a firm tone in his voice, "No, that's not it. I only said that so you could be safe from harm. I wanted you to stay with Flurry so you wouldn't get hurt." He then looked downwards, "If anyone gets hurt, it should be me."

Nova embraced him with tears in her eyes, "No! I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt by somepony! You don't deserve that, Blaze! You never have! You're good and kind and sweet and I was wrong to judge you!" She sighed as she drew back and wiped her eyes, "Maybe I do judge ponies before I really get to know them. I thought that my mother was all-around good and would never harm anypony, but then…" The hurt came flooding back and tears welled up anew. "I never thought she would do that…kidnapping your mom from her family and making them forget about her." She let out a sob, "I always looked up to my mother, but now…"

As she tried to stifle her crying, Blaze comforted her, "I know you feel disappointed in her, but she's not perfect. She has flaws, and so do I…" He touched her arm, "…and so do you." He shrugged, "No one's perfect, Nova, not even a prince like me. Heck, even Grandma's not perfect. Look, my point is we all make mistakes, but when we do everything to fix them or heal the hurt they caused, that's what makes us good."

Blaze grabbed Nova's hoof and smiled, "I think you're a good pony, Nova…" He then added playfully, "…and not just at magic."

They both chuckled before Nova said sweetly, "I think you are, too, in both magic and friendship…and perhaps a little more." To everypony's surprise, she gave him a kiss on the lips!

Blaze stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before a wide grin spread across his face and his horn began to glow.

Fireworks then shot up from his horn as he shouted joyfully, "WHOO-HOO!" He then danced around as he chanted, "Oh, yeah! Go, Blaze! You're awesome! You're cool! You're –"

Nova interrupted with a playful smile, "All right, don't overdo it."

He gave her a sheepish grin.

Cauldron said, "Well, now that they got their little mushy confession out of the way, let's all have a cute-ceañera for Flurry Heart!"

Flurry nodded and chuckled, "We will, but first, there's something we need to do." She levitated the Gem of Harmony onto her hoof.

 ** _AN: CartoonNerd12 helped write Skyla and Flurry's scene and Blaze and Nova's scene._**


	22. Guardians of Equestria

_FLASH!_

In a sudden flash of yellow-green light, several ponies appeared in a cave dotted with crystals.

Cauldron Bubbles put her hoof to her mouth and gagged, "I really hope you don't combine your teleportation spells like that again. It creates such an ugly color."

Mischief retorted, "Hey, without Blaze and Flurry to help me, it would've taken a little longer to get here."

Cauldron conceded, "All right. Point taken."

Nova looked at the Tree of Harmony in concern, "Are you sure we'll be able to save the Tree?"

The Tree of Harmony looked a bit dimmer than it did before, with the tips of its branches grayed and a steady pulse of light at the center. Flurry was a bit uncertain herself, but when she magically held the Gem in front of her, its glimmering surface seemed to give her confidence.

The alicorn said, "Only one way to find out."

Flurry used her magic to lift the Gem up towards the center of the Tree and put it on the star. Thankfully, the Gem settled nicely in its rightful place and the Tree regained its radiant shine. Everypony was relieved that it worked out well. Suddenly, the Gem glowed brightly and shot rainbow rays of light at Flurry, Mischief, the twins, Blaze, Nova, and Apple Butter. Skyla and Cauldron watched in concern for the ponies until the rainbow beams drew out blobs of light from within the ponies' chests. The blobs of light soon morphed and solidified into shards of crystals with colors similar to the original Elements of Harmony. The seven crystals formed the shape of a star and spun rapidly in a clockwise direction.

To the ponies' surprise, it shot out of the cave entrance so fast that it had a tail of rainbow light. The crystal star flew over the Everfree Forest and burrowed into the ground near Ponyville. The earth shook as a crystal castle rose up and stood regally beside a waterfall. Moments later, the group was transported in front of the castle. They looked upon the castle with wonder and surprise.

Skyla breathed, "Oh my stars!"

Blaze asked in amazement, "What is that?"

Flurry asked, "More importantly, whose is it?"

A regal voice then said, "I believe we can shed light on that."

The ponies turned around in surprise and saw their parents and grandparents standing before them!

Cauldron stuttered in astonishment as the kids cried, "Mom! Dad! Grandma! Grandpa!"

When the kids embraced their families, the adults chuckled and told them how worried they were about the kids.

Skyla shamefully apologized to her parents, "I'm sorry for running off like that and almost dooming Equestria."

Cadance touched her daughter's arm and calmed her, "It's all right, Skyla. You're back with us now and that's all that matters."

Just then, Shining Armor caught a glimpse at something and then said with a smirk, "That's not the only thing that matters."

When her husband pointed to something, Cadance looked at it and gasped in delight, "Flurry, you got your cutie mark!"

Flurry showed it off and said, "Yeah, I got it when I said that I was going to spread selfless love around and show others that kind of love so they could have it, too."

Shining Armor put his hoof on his younger daughter's shoulder and smiled, "I think it definitely suits you, kiddo."

Cadance said with her hoof to her chest, "You're going to make us so proud, Flurry."

Skyla couldn't help but let her dejected feelings show on her face.

Flurry noticed this and told her parents, "You should be proud of Skyla, too." Skyla gave her a surprised look. Flurry continued, "She's done so much good so she could be a wonderful queen someday. I should know. She helped me get my cutie mark."

Shining Armor chuckled, "We're proud of both of you."

Cadance agreed, "And we're happy having you two as our daughters. _Nothing_ is going to change that."

The rulers of the Crystal Empire embraced their daughters in a warm hug.

Blaze then asked Celestia, "So, can you tell us who lives in that castle?"

His grandmother smiled, "Let's go inside and find out."

As the ponies walked through the purple halls of the castle, Roller Blade remarked, "Whoa. This place is bigger on the inside."

Skater agreed, "No kidding."

Luna spoke up, "There is a prophecy that foretold of this."

Blaze groaned, "Oh, no! Not another prophecy!"

Luna chuckled, "Don't worry. It's a good one this time. Legend tells of seven ponies chosen to protect Equestria from danger and bring peace and harmony throughout the land. They are called the Guardians of Equestria."

When the ponies stopped in front of green double doors, Nova asked, "Are the Guardians of Equestria behind those doors?"

Celestia answered with a smile, "We'll soon see."

She and her sister used their magic to open the doors and everypony saw a vast throne room with a high ceiling. However, they were disappointed that there were no ponies there.

Apple Butter groaned, "Aw, crabapples! They're not here!"

Just then, Flurry's eyes widened as she saw that one of the thrones had her cutie mark on it! She pointed at it and cried, "Look! There's my cutie mark!"

Mischief also saw that one other throne had his slingshot cutie mark. "And mine!"

Nova then cried, "Mine, too!"

Blaze also exclaimed, "There's mine, too!"

When the seven ponies who had repaired the Gem of Harmony saw their cutie marks on the thrones, Skater turned to the adults and asked in surprise, "Grandma, are we…?"

Celestia nodded, "Yes. You are now the Guardians of Equestria."

The seven ponies looked at each other in amazement at the revelation.

Cauldron squealed as she hugged Mischief tightly, "Oh, Mischief! This is wonderful! You're going to make me so proud!" She then suggested, "You can also advertise for my shop and sell my wares while saving Equestria from harm."

Mischief groaned, "Mom!"

His friends chuckled as he said that.

The day finally arrived. They were about to be knighted as Guardians of Equestria in their new castle. Mischief would be alongside his friends during the ceremony and the party afterwards, so why was he nervous? Oh, yeah. Because a lot of ponies would be seeing him for the first time! He would be a freak compared to his friends, so chances were the ponies meeting him might not be friendly to him. He tried to stay calm, but his shaking body betrayed his anxiety.

Flurry saw this and touched his arm as she soothed him, "It's going to be fine, Mischief. I'll be with you."

The soft touch of her dainty hoof calmed Mischief significantly. He loved it when Flurry was right beside him. With her love, he felt like he could do anything, even be among a huge crowd of ponies.

He swallowed and then said, "All right. I can do this. I can do this."

Shining Armor's voice announced through the double doors, _"Fillies and gentlecolts, we are proud to present the seven who saved Equestria!"_

Flurry whispered to Mischief, "Brace yourselves."

He replied, "I'm trying."

The doors then opened and fanfare began to play. Mischief tried to keep a strong composure as he walked down the red carpet with Flurry, but he couldn't help but cringe a little when the loud trumpets blared in his ears.

He whispered to Flurry, "I'm not sure I can get used to the fanfare."

They and their friends then walked up the steps of the small stage and kneeled before Skyla and the rulers of Canterlot, Marendelle, and the Crystal Empire.

Twilight then spoke up, "You all have done a heroic deed for Equestria and this family. Without you, the Gem of Harmony would not have been repaired and Skyla would never have returned to us. We all commend you on your brave and wonderful actions and thus, you shall be knighted." She bent her head down as her horn tapped Blaze's shoulders. "I knight you Prince Blaze, generous guardian of Equestria."

Sunset and Timber were very ecstatic that their son was knighted.

Flash Sentry said as he tapped Nova's shoulders with a sword, "I knight you Lady Nova Rose, kind guardian of Equestria."

Starlight wept tears of joy and hugged Sunburst, who was equally proud of their daughter.

Sweetie Belle tapped her horn on Skater's shoulders as she declared, "I knight you Princess Skater, honest guardian of Equestria."

Button Mash tapped his sword on Roller's shoulders and proclaimed, "I knight you Prince Roller Blade, loyal guardian of Equestria."

Scootaloo and Rumble weren't shy about cheering for their twins. No matter how embarrassed they were, Roller and Skater knew their parents meant well.

Cadance pronounced as she tapped her horn on Apple Butter's shoulders, "I knight you Princess Apple Butter, joyful guardian of Equestria."

Apple Bloom and Pip hugged each other in pride for their daughter.

Shining Armor said as he tapped Mischief's shoulders with his horn, "I knight you Sir Mischief, empathetic guardian of Equestria." He then whispered to Mischief in a mock serious tone, "And protector of my daughter's heart, so help me, Faust?"

The antlered colt gulped while trying to maintain his strong composure, "Yes, sir."

Finally, Skyla tapped her sister's shoulders with her horn and proclaimed, "I knight you Princess Flurry Heart, magical and loving guardian of Equestria." She whispered to Flurry, "I know you'll do great, sis. I believe in you."

Flurry smiled at that.

When the seven knighted ponies stood up and faced the crowd, Twilight announced, "We now have the Guardians of Equestria!"

The crowd cheered and clapped in response while Discord blew the air horn.

When the other ponies stared and glared at him, he said with a smile, "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

After the red carpet was rolled up, the party commenced. Lively chatter swarmed around the room as many of the guests enjoyed themselves.

When Sunset and her husband went to congratulate Blaze and Nova, Timber grabbed his son for a noogie and chuckled, "Hey, buddy! Congrats on being Equestria's new protector! You're going to make us proud!"

Sunset then said, "I'm surprised you even have this honor, but remember, this is a big job for you."

Timber casually mentioned, "Yeah, everypony's depending on you to make sure you don't let Equestria fall and fall hard." When Blaze and Nova had petrified looks on their faces, Timber added, "No pressure."

When Starlight and Sunburst came up to them, they hugged their filly as Starlight said, "Oh, Nova, I'm so proud of you! You're going to do great things as a Guardian of Equestria." The happiness in her tone faded a little as she added, "And hopefully, they'll be much better than what _I_ did."

Nova comforted her mother, "Mom, you didn't know any better. You were hurting, so you tried to resolve it through payback. But now that you've changed and taught me to do what's right, that's all that matters. If you were willing to change your ways, then that means you're not a bad pony anymore."

Starlight cooed with happy tears in her eyes, "Oh…" She then hugged her sweet daughter.

On the other side of the room, Cauldron said to Mischief, "I'm so happy you're a guardian now, Mischief! Now you can prove all those neigh-sayers wrong by being a famous hero!"

Mischief corrected her, "Mom, there were never any neigh-sayers to begin with."

She shrugged, "Well, there could be. You never know. Excuse me while I mingle with the royal folk."

As his adopted mother left, Mischief told Flurry, "She wants to get in good with the royals now that I'm a guardian."

"I'll say," a voice behind them said. Flurry and Mischief turned to see Discord. The draconequus continued, "Any pony worth his salt will want to butter up to a royal so they can have 'special privileges'." He made air quotes as he said that. He put his paw to his chin as he told Mischief, "Come to think of it, I'm surprised you never tried to charm Flurry Heart so you could get in good with the royal family. I mean, you're half-draconequus, after all. Shouldn't you be a little, shall I say, mischievous?" He giggled when he said that last word.

Mischief smirked, "Oh, really? Well, how's this for mischievous?"

Discord felt a tap behind his left ear and turned around. Suddenly, he got hit by a cream pie.

Flurry and Mischief chuckled before the princess said, "Good one, Mischief."

Discord pulled the tin from his face and chortled, "Oh-ho-ho! The colt has hope after all!" He slammed the cream-filled tin in Mischief's face before he disappeared in a flash.

Flurry said as Mischief pulled the tin from his face, "You'll get used to him."

Mischief licked the cream off his face and swallowed it before he said, "I hope so. He's offering to give me draconequus lessons. Not something I expected from a survivor of the blizzard. I thought he'd be a little more…"

"Angry? I bet it was surprising for you when my family and relatives welcomed you with open arms. Trust me, they put the blizzard behind them, so you shouldn't have to worry about acceptance so much."

He chuckled, "Yeah, but it was even more surprising when I found out they were looking for me because –"

Another voice exclaimed, "There you are!" Snow Pea came up to them and said to Mischief, "I'm so glad to finally meet you! There's something I want to show you." She led Mischief and Flurry to the small stage so it'd be more personal for the three of them. Snow Pea took a deep breath and explained, "Okay, a while back, I died to save my cousins and sister."

Flurry pointed out, "You know, it's creepy how you can mention that incident so casually, cuz."

She deadpanned, "I didn't die completely." She told Mischief, "I was in the heavens when I saw the alicorns and draconequui. They told me that the blizzard happened because they hated each other, not because of you. I even met your parents up there before I came back to life." She then pulled out a crystal orb and said, "I kept the memory of my experience so it'd be preserved for all time."

In an instant, Mischief saw the events of Snow Pea's memory play out as if he was there instead of her. He thought the cosmos were a beautiful place and wanted to stay there forever. His heart almost stilled when he saw the alicorns emerging from the mist. He thought they were going to come after him until he remembered it was somepony else's memory. When he saw the draconequui, he was amazed to see them – and the alicorns – in the flesh, or mystical whatever. As he heard the alicorns and draconequui explain what happened in the blizzard, he was astonished when they said that their hatred and distrust for each other doomed them. Flurry was right – he _didn't_ cause the blizzard this whole time!

Then, he got one look at his parents and it was as if time stopped. He had seen them in his dreams before, the ones in which a snowstorm had overwhelmed them. To actually see them in spirit form was as real to him as though they were alive. Tears spilled down his cheeks as his mother, Teardrop, explained that she and her husband's love for one another caused the feud between the draconequui and alicorns to escalate. Mischief became disheartened when Teardrop said that his birth incited enough hatred to draw the Windigos to the land and finish most members of both races off. Mischief knew that Flurry was right that he and his parents' love should've served as examples to the others; instead, the message it was trying to send got twisted and brought the festering grudge to a boil. It comforted Mischief very much when he saw that his parents' races regretted their actions.

When Mischief returned to the real world, Flurry asked in concern, "Are you okay, Mischief?"

His thoughts dwelled back to the message his mother wanted Snow Pea to deliver. When she had said that she and his father loved him very much, he felt every bit of their love in her words. No longer did he feel ashamed by his role in the blizzard. Now, there was only serenity from finally learning the truth.

Tears of joy spilled from Mischief's eyes as he answered in a choked-up voice, "I'm better than okay." He hugged the girls as he said, "Thank you so much for helping me see the light after 66 years."

This surprised Snow Pea. "66 years?"

Flurry told her with a small smile, "Long story."

While the party continued inside, Mischief found the balcony and leaned against the railing. This was a beautiful view to have at night - all of Ponyville resting peacefully underneath the starry sky, and the vast land that laid just beyond it. Mischief wondered what kind of adventures he would have with Flurry and his new friends. Just the thought of that excited him.

Flurry's voice then said behind him, "My dearest friend…" When he turned around to see her walking onto the balcony, she sang, _"If you don't mind…I'd like to join you by your side…where we can gaze into the stars…"_

As Flurry drew near to Mischief, they sang together, _"And be together…now and forever…For it is plain…as anyone can see…"_ They held hooves as they finished, " _We're simply meant to be…"_

Caught in a magical moment, they wrapped their arms around each other and locked lips in a deep and meaningful kiss. They were unaware that sparkles of magic sprung from their heads and flew up into the sky. The green and yellow sparkles then intertwined into a heart that shone beside the moon.

 ** _K5: Will we see Flurry and Mischief's romance bloom in the future? Yes. Yes, we will. Oh, darn it! You've exposed me to_** **Zootopia** ** _for too long, sis!_**

 ** _CN12: *looking smug* You're welcome._**

 ** _K5: Hey, now that's Maui's line from_** **Moana** ** _!_**

 ** _CN12: Well, we are Disney freaks, so help me. Which is ironic, given that we might not use a Disney source for the next installment._**

 ** _K5: It's going to be called –_**

 ** _Discord: Ah-ah-ah! Hold it!_**

 ** _CN12 and K5: Discord?!_**

 ** _Discord: Look, I am_** **really** ** _enjoying this fanfiction series you've built together, but let's shake things up a little, shall we?_**

 ** _K5: Shake things up how?_**

 ** _Discord: By playing a game, of course! To be more specific…*flashes into game show host attire with a flashing marquee behind him*…"Let's Guess the Fairy Tales"! The readers have to guess which two fairy tales you girls are using for the 8_** ** _th_** ** _– or was it 7_** ** _th_** ** _or 9_** ** _th_** ** _? – installment of *acting posh*_** **The Royal Canterlot Family** ** _series. *normal voice* If one reader gets one of the fairy tales correct, you have to give them one half of the summary._**

 ** _CN12: That sounds fair._**

 ** _K5: And we'll give them a month to do it. Um, can we give them a hint?_**

 ** _Discord: But you already gave them one, didn't you?_**

 ** _K5: I suppose that can serve as a hint._**

 ** _Discord: Excellent! Then I'll leave the rest to you! Toodles! *POOF!*_**

 ** _CN12: Hate to admit it, but he does have a good point. We need to spice it up a little._**

 ** _K5: *nods* I agree. *to audience* Hear that, readers? We're not revealing the full summary or the title until next month on our profiles. The lucky reader who correctly guesses one of the fairy tales will be given one half of the synopsis through private messaging._**

 ** _CN12: May you be the lucky one!_**

 ** _Both: Have fun!_**

 ** _(K5: Oh, I almost forgot! CN12 suggested some things in this last chapter that made it better. The song Mischief and Flurry sing at the end is…well, let's call it "Jack and Sally's Song", and it's from_** **The Nightmare before Christmas.** ** _)_**


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